To Be Believed In
by GodlyJewel
Summary: Two lone figures, both unable to be seen by anyone. One trapped in darkness for centuries, the other alone for 300 years without any memories of his past. At least, that's what they thought. What if Jack and Pitch had each met someone who was able to see them? - Jack/OC and Pitch/OC
1. Prologue

**To Be Believed In**

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**Cosmic Horse:** So my best friend and I went to see _Rise of the Guardians_ and, while my favorite Guardian is the Easter Bunny, my favorite character is definitely Pitch Black. Cue plot bunny attack! And we give you _To Be Believed In_! Enjoy!

**GodlyJewel:** This was such a good movie, how could the plot bunnies not attack? That and Jack Frost is my favorite character out of the Guardians. Anyway, this is basically the same plot line as the movie, but Cosmic and I decided two of our favorite characters needed someone special. We hope you will enjoy our story.

**Disclaimer:** All rights to the _Rise of the Guardians_, and the photo above, belong to DreamWorks Animation. Elements from _Guardians of Childhood _belong to William Joyce. Some other detailed facts about the RotG characters also come from Rise of the Guardians Wiki. OC's belong to GodlyJewel and Cosmic Horse.

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**Prologue: First Encounter**

The sun shown down on the little town of Burgess, Pennsylvania. It was the start of winter and a fresh layer of snow covered the little houses. One particular home belonged to the Bennett family. While Mr. Bennett was at work, Mrs. Bennett stayed at home. She sat in the nursery with her infant son sleeping soundly in her arms. By his silent, steady breathing his mother knew he had gone to sleep. She rose from her chair and settled the boy in his crib. With a baby monitor in hand, Mrs. Bennett walked downstairs. As she walked she could her something coming from the living room. She walked in and saw a small girl sitting on the floor.

The young girl was about eight years old. Her hair was light blond and she had brown eyes. She wore sparkly blue jeans, white socks, and a white long sleeved shirt, with sparkling snowflakes on the front and light blue strips down the sleeves. She was sitting in front of the television watching a special airing of the 1979 Jack Frost movie. Mrs. Bennett smiled. Her daughter's eyes always lit up whenever she watched the Christmas classics. Her daughter began to sing along with the ending song:

_If you try to turn around  
__When you hear his icy sound  
__He's sure to disappear  
__But you know, yes, you know  
__Then you know Jack Frost is here_

"_And that's the story of Jack Frost," said Pardon-Me-Pete. The groundhog stretched and yawned before tipping his hat and tossing it to land on a coat rack. "Well, I gotta catch six weeks of shuteye." He pulled the covers over his head but before he fell asleep, he peeked his head out and said, "Pardon me. Bye."_

Suddenly the television went black as Pardon-Me-Pete waved good-bye.

"Now that's enough for one afternoon," Mrs. Bennett said as she set the remote back on the table.

"But Mom," the girl whined, "they were gonna play it again."

"Now Roxana, you watch that movie every year. I'm sure you have the whole thing memorized. Besides, I just put Jamie down for his nap and I need the house to be quiet. Why don't you go outside and play?"

Taking a quick look outside, Roxana smiled and said, "Okay."

She ran to the front door and began to put on her winter coat. The coat was white belted bubble jacket with a faux fur-trimmed hood. Once that was on, she put on her blue and purple hand knit gloves and matching scarf. As she pulled on her purple winter boots with faux-fur lining, Roxana took a quick look at her white ice-skates. "Mommy? Can I go skating?" Roxana asked.

Mrs. Bennett hesitated before answering. "Yes, but only if there are other parents around. I don't want you skating by yourself."

Roxana agreed and eagerly grabbed her skates before rushing out the door.

"And don't stay out too late," Mrs. Bennett called. "Remember to be home before the sun goes down."

Roxana called back that she would and then headed out. She ran all the way down to the forest just outside of town. It was one of the girl's favorite places to go. Tall trees surrounded the forest and in the center was a lake wide enough for skating. When she got there, there was no one around. Not even the animals were out. This was how Roxana liked it. Though she promised her mother, this was one of the things Roxana liked to do. Skating by herself let her focus on her routine. Roxana quickly sat down and exchanged her boots for her skates. Making sure her laces were fastened tightly, Roxana sped out onto the ice. She was having so much fun just skating around; she even did a figure eight. She was pretty good for her age and even dreamed about becoming a professional figure skater when she was older.

As she skated along the ice Roxana hummed the "Me and My Shadow" song. She was so wrapped up in her song that she never saw the rough patch of ice that was in her path. Before she knew it, Roxana tripped and went sailing through the air. She landed on her head and skidded until she stopped at the edge of the pond into a large jagged boulder. The contact caused a small cut just above her left eyebrow before everything went dark.

**XXX**

As the sun set Jack Frost was returning from a day of freezing the grounds, and preparing the children for an upcoming — and long wished for — Snow Day. He loved how the kids would light up whenever he brought the beginning of winter for them to enjoy and play in. Not only did he get to immerse himself in the occasional snowball fight, but he was able to bring fun and mischief into the children's lives.

If only the children could see him. That was the downside to being him. No one could see Jack Frost. No one really knew that he existed.

Jack sighed and continued to sail on the North Wind. As his home came into sight, he noticed something was off about the forest. He dropped down a few feet away from the frozen lake and scanned the area. The first thing he noticed was that the ice was no longer smooth, but was cut and pitted. As he continued to scan the banks, he spotted something. Near the edge of the pond, half frozen in the snow were a pair of purple snow boots.

Jack instantly recognized the boots as those belonging to Roxana Bennett, or Roxy (as her friends call her), the little girl that liked to skate on his pond. She was such a sweet kid, and liked to cause mischief for herself and her friends. Jack had seen her with the other children before. She usually was the first to start a snowball fight, or persuade the others to sled down the biggest hill in town. She even stood up when some of the older kids would pick on the younger ones. Jack knew Roxy liked to come to this spot every year, and sometimes he would watch as she taught herself to skate. He even nicknamed her Snow Sprite for her love for the winter weather and her impish character.

Seeing the boots told Jack that the girl was near but if that was the case, where was she?

He stepped out and began to look around, thinking maybe she was skating on the ice, but Roxy was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly his icy blue eyes spotted a figure lying facedown in the snow. The figure was small and wearing a white winter coat and matching white skates. It was Roxana. Jack rushed to her side and brushed off the snow. Her eyes were closed and there was dried blood on the top of her forehead. From the blue tint of her skin Jack figured the poor girl must have been here for a long time.

"Come on Snow Sprite, wake up," he whispered. He lightly tapped the side of her face but got no response. She was still breathing thankfully, but she was in risk of catching hypothermia if she didn't get warm soon. Careful as to not to disturb her injury — in case she had a concussion — Jack lifted Roxana into his arms, shifting her to rest in one arm. He only prayed that his icy touch wouldn't hasten her already chilled body.

"Hey Wind, I need another ride." Jack raised his staff and was suddenly hoisted into the air. He flew over the trees and jumped a few rooftops until he spotted Roxana's house. Jack flew to the girl's bedroom window and saw her parent's sitting on the bedside. Mrs. Bennett's cheeks were stained with tears and Mr. Bennett had his hands on her shoulders. Jack knew he couldn't just place the girl in her room as planned.

Looking around Jack spotted a window near the living room had been left ajar. He softly landed on the porch and entered the open window. He padded over to the couch and laid Roxana down on the soft cushions. He removed her snow-soaked coat, gloves, scarf, and ice-skates, placing them by the fireplace. Looking around he found a lighter and got a fire going. Then Jack grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped the chilled girl until she was snug. He smiled when he saw her shiver then snuggle deeper into the blanket. He knew she would be warm soon enough. Remembering her boots were still by the pond, Jack knew he'd have to retrieve them and bring them back later.

A sound from upstairs caught his attention and Jack knew her parents were coming down the stairs. Taking one last look at the sleeping girl, Jack crept out the window and flew off into the night. What he didn't notice was the pair of brown eyes that watched him.

"J-J-Jack… F-Frost?" the little voice whispered.

"Roxana?!" Roxana looked over to see her mom and dad rushing toward her with tears in their eyes. They quickly gathered their daughter in their arms and started kissing her, and asking her where she had been. Unable to answer, her parents noticed that their daughter was freezing and carried her up to bed. Mrs. Bennett dressed her in warm pajamas and socks, while Mr. Bennett got her some extra blankets. He also got out the peroxide to clean his daughter's cut and placed a bandage on it. When their daughter was settled in, they wished her good night and walked out of the room.

But Roxana did not go to sleep.

When her door shut, Roxana's eyes opened, and she stared out her window, thinking about all that had happened. She remembered the fall and hitting her head before being consumed in darkness. Then she heard a gentle voice calling out before she was lifted into protective arms. For a moment Roxana had woken and, through half lidded eyes, she'd seen the town below her. She turned her head slightly and saw a boy with white hair before she fell back into unconsciousness.

Then she felt herself being laid on something soft and wrapped in a warm blanket. When she opened her eyes for a second time there was the boy again. This time she could see all of him, though his back was to her.

He was tall and thin, defiantly older than her. He wore worn brown, tattered pants bound with a lighter material from the knee down, and a blue hooded sweatshirt. He carried a long, wooden staff in his hand that looked like it was covered in ice, and it curved at the top like a shepherd's staff. Roxy was surprised he wasn't freezing; his clothes were covered in frost and he wore no shoes.

Instantly she knew that standing before her was non other than Jack Frost himself. Roxana quickly shut her eyes when he looked back at her, thinking he'd disappear if he knew she'd seen him. She opened them when she heard him sneaking out the window.

Roxana smiled to herself as the moon shone bright outside her window. _I knew he was real_, she thought. Suddenly Roxana found it hard to keep her eyes open and soon found herself peacefully dreaming. Had anyone been in the room they would have seen two golden figures flying over the girl's head as Roxana dreamed about flying through the Northern Lights with Jack Frost.

The figures were made from dreamsand, courtesy of the Sandman. He was currently soaring over Burgs as he sent that same golden sand into every house, giving each child a special dream.

But there was someone to notice the wondrous scene. The dark figure had been observing closely for years, learning how the Sandman was able to conjure such dreams at will and make them come alive to enter the sleeping minds of every boy and girl. The figure's name was Pitch Black, but he was better know as the Boogieman, the King of Nightmares and Fear. For centuries he had been forgotten by children due to the Guardians; beings hand selected by the Man in the Moon to protect the children. Many times in the past they had thwarted his plans, but that was all about to change.

A malicious smile crept over his lips as one particular trail of sand caught his eye. He quietly slipped into the shadows and made his way inside the little house; into the bedroom where the sand was headed, and where the Boogieman's first victim laid sound asleep.

Pitch slunk into a small, bright yellow bedroom. His dark figure loomed in the faint light given off by the pink rabbit shaped nightlight in the socket. In the light he could be seen as fairly tall and slender, with gray skin and glossy black hair styled in curved spikes towards the back of his head. He wore long black robes that cover his feet. With glowing silvery-gold eyes, he watched as the girl sleeping before him dreamed some happy little dream. A very fluffy bunny hopped around and faint laughter floated from the happy sand. He knelt next to the girl's bed and an evil grin creep onto his face. Her soft face looked serene and she snuggled closer to her stuffed white rabbit.

"Such a happy little dream you are having, aren't you little girl?" he questioned, his voice soft, almost kind.

With a light sigh he touched the dream, flooding the happy rabbit with darkness. He grinned as the girl's slight eyebrows furrowed in fear as the rabbit morphed into some evil looking creature. It had been a long time since he could conjure this fear. He was pleased he still possessed such power. However, he still had not mastered and the nightmare began to fade.

Suddenly, a pair of enraged grey-green orbs belonging to the girl met Pitch's eyes.

"Leave my bunnies alone Mr. Boogeyman!" she hissed, snapping the dark dream away.

Pitch leapt away from the girl and she slowly raised, her shocking eyes narrowing to stare at him. No one had been able to see him in such a long time that he was surprised and flabbergasted.

"You-You can see me?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course I can!" she said, softly stroking her plush bunny.

"How?" he asked, blending with the shadows so only his haunting golden eyes remained.

She hesitated. "I'm always afraid. Everything scares me. Why wouldn't I believe in the Boogeyman who controls all the scary things out there? No one believes in him…you anymore, and they all make fun of me for being such a scardy-cat," she confessed, her face suddenly realizing that he was the Boogeyman.

"You're the Boogeyman!" she suddenly said, hugging her plush rabbit closer and scampering backwards in her bed, pushing herself against her headboard.

Now normally, Pitch would be thrilled about striking fear into this girl's heart and mind, but for some reason, the sight of her practically cowering in fear of him made him feel…guilty? Looking at her, her face pressed against her bunny with wide, fearful eyes and a tangled mess of red-brown hair, he felt something within him stir. "I am… but I'm not here to scare you," he said softly, half hoping that she wouldn't hear his words.

But she did. "You're not?" she asked, her eyes still so fearful.

"No child," he replied, materializing again so she wasn't talking to just a shadow with eyes.

"Then, why are you here?" she asked, looking him up and down a couple times rapidly.

Pitch hesitated. He began to question: _Do I tell the truth and scare her even more, or lie and maybe keep one person who could see me?_ "I… I don't really know…" he lied, bringing his hand up to support his hung head.

"Don't lie!" she said, making him jerk his head up. "Lying is bad."

A sly chuckle slipped from his lips and he said, "Well, I am a **bad** man," before giving her one of his scariest grins.

She gasped and tried to scamper back again. "No, you're not," she whispered.

Pitch tipped his head to the side, narrowed his eyes, and furrowed his eyebrows. "What did you say?" he asked, not truly believing his ears.

She gulped. "You're not a bad man Mr. Boogeyman…" she said a bit louder.

"How could you know? You don't even know me!" he practically shouted.

She winced. "Because if you were a really bad man, you wouldn't be standing here arguing with a scared little girl about it. You would be making me so scared that I could never sleep again," she said.

A tremor rippled through his chest as his nearly absent heart soften, and he couldn't stop himself before blurting out, "I would never do that to you."

She smiled. "See?" she said, slightly relaxing.

He halfheartedly glared at the girl.

"I'm Bonnie. Bonnie Clyde. Everyone calls me Bunny because of Bun-Bun here and the fact that I'm such a scardy," she said.

With a false bravado and a small bow, Pitch formally introduced himself. "I am Kozmotis Pitchiner, Master of Fear and King of Nightmares. I have been called many things: Boogeyman, Buka, El Cucuy, Bala, Babau, Butzemann, Baboulas, Bau, and Jumbi. You, however, may call me Pitch."

She blinked, taking in all his names. "It's nice to meet you Pitch," the girl, Bonnie, said with a weak looking smile. She yawned. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to sleep," Bonnie said before snuggling down into her bed.

Pitch slowly approached her bedside and, rather tenderly, tucked her into bed. He watched her sleep a moment longer, just making sure that her dream reappeared. It did. A small smile played at his lips at the sight of her plush bunny. He touched its soft white fur, accidentally polluting it with his darkness and giving it grey patches. He quickly snatched his hand away. With one last look, he slipped from her room and out onto the sidewalk. He glanced back just once before shadow jumping into the night. They way that she talked about her fears, and about him made Pitch almost reconsider his overall scheme. He smiled at the thought of her and vowed to return one more time.

Bonnie awoke the next morning and found herself a bit less afraid than when she went to bed the evening before. She thought that her meeting Pitch was all a dream until she saw her stuffed rabbit. His once white coat was now intermingled with grey patches on his ears, across it's shoulders and a grey fluffy tail. She picked up the bunny.

"You are now Butterfluff," she said, hugging the plush rabbit.

**XXX**

**Cosmic Horse:** Well, hoped y'all liked this. Get ready to jump forward to the movie, it's going to get bumpy from here (lolz).

**GodlyJewel:** We hope to keep the pairings fluffy as possible, but you never know. Hey, what do you mean by bumpy?

**Cosmic Horse:** Well, life isn't smooth as butter darling. These poor, pitiful characters are about to be thrown about with emotional turmoil and actual battles. Bumpy is an understatement really.

**GodlyJewel:** You have a point. Especially with how truly evil we are to our characters.

**Cosmic Horse:** Yes, yes all well and good. Now, on with the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1

**4/29/13 - AN:** If anything looks different, I apologize. Was doing some editing, and something went wrong. Long story short, had to retype this chapter from an old backup.

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**Chapter 1: Kids At Heart**

_My fellow Guardians, it is our job to watch over the children of the world, and keep them safe. To bring wonder, hope, and dreams. And so I have called us all here for one reason, and one reason only: The children are in danger. An enemy we have kept at bay for centuries has finally decided to strike back. We alone can stop him._

- Nicholas St. North, _Rise of the Guardians_

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_Ten years later…_

The winter months were coming to an end in the small town of Burgess. It was a sunny day and only two days away from the second biggest holiday: Easter. The kids were out of school and ready to play. A cold wind blew through the Town Square as frost covered the streets, cars, and buildings. If anyone listened hard enough, they could hear a voice on the wind, calling, "SNOW DAY!" The cause of all of this winter fun was none other than the Master of Winter Fun himself, Jack Frost. He had just returned from bringing his winter mischief to a little Russian Town, and was anxious to return home.

As he flew back to his home in the snowy forest by the frozen lake, Jack spotted some of the local children. One particular drew his attention. It was a young boy named Jamie Bennett. He was about ten years old with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore faded blue jeans, a tan shirt and a blue vest. Jack liked Jamie because the boy was full of imagination and unlike some of his friends, he believed in many of the famous icons: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and supernatural mysteries, like aliens.

At the moment, Jamie was reading a book. Unable to resist his inner hellion, Jack sent a small wind to knock the book from Jamie's hands. It fell a few feet away as Jamie chased after it. Jack knelt down and read the title, _Mysterious Times: They're Out there!_

"Huh, that looks interesting." Jack looked up just as Jamie picked up his fallen book. "Good book?" he asked.

jack knew Jamie couldn't hear him, but it made him feel a little better to pretend like they could have a conversation.

"Yeah!"

"Who-hoo!"

"Snow Day!"

Suddenly, his friends, Claude and Caleb, ambushed Jamie. The boys were twins, though they differed in many ways. Claude wore a white long-sleeved shirt underneath an XFB jersey with blue jeans, and had his hair combed back. Meanwhile, Caleb wore a red beanie over his head, and was wearing a blue coat, with a big, purple line through the middle, outlined with thin, white lines and white shorts.

Jack laughed and took a bow to his unknowing audience. "You're welcome."

"Hey guys, wait up!" Jamie called, chasing after the twins. When he caught up, he asked "Are you guys coming to the Egg Hunt Sunday?"

"Yeah, free candy!" Caleb shouted.

"I hope we can find the eggs with all this snow!" Clause laughed.

Jack smiled and decided to follow after the boys. They were heading toward Jamie's house. Jack flew ahead and waited for them on the fence. As he waited, Jack noticed he wasn't alone.

Sitting on the porch were two teenage girls. One had reddish-brown hair and tan skin, and wore a long emerald green winter coat over a pale pink knee length dress decorated with white and bright green snowflake designs. The hem on the skirt and the square neckline had delicate white lace on them. Under her skirt, due to the cold winter weather, was a pair of grey leggings ending in pastel pink snow boots. A pitch-black scarf surrounded her neck and a knitted grey sweat finished off the look. In her lap sat a toy rabbit with gray patches on its white fur. The other girl had light blond hair, deep blue eyes, and her skin was pale, especially next to her friend. Unlike her friend, the blond wore a black and white sweater and dark blue jeans, with black, calf high winter boots. She was also Jamie's older sister, Roxana.

Roxy was sitting on the back porch with her best friend, Bonnie, at her side. The two girls had been best friends since sophomore year, but had been living in the same neighborhood for ten years. When they met Bonnie was getting teased because she was scared of everything and carried around a toy rabbit. One day Roxana had seen her being bullied and stood up for her. Since then the two girls were inseparable. Another thing the two girls had in common was their love a fictional characters. Unlike most kids who grew out of that stage when they reached adulthood, Roxana and Bonnie had a secret: they had each seen one of the supernatural beings.

The two girls had arrived home from school and were just chatting in the back yard, while Roxy looked after her younger sister, Sophie. The little girl was about two-years-old, and was all bundle up in a striped red and green sweater, lime green pants and purplish blue snow boats, with red mittens on her hand. She also wore a pair of pink fairy wings. Sophie looked a lot like her older sister, except that Sophie's blond hair covered the right side of her face, and her eyes were a spring green instead of a brown like her older siblings. At the moment the little girl was playing with their brown and white dog, Abby, and hoping around pretending to be a fairy. Roxy smiled at her sister, before turning her attention back to Bonnie.

"Gosh, isn't it cold out? And so close to Easter too. It's just strange. Butterfluff will get a col- Ah… Ah-choo!" she was interrupted by a sneeze. "… I will... or both of us..." Bonnie said, taking out a well-loved tissue and whipped her running nose.

"Didn't you get the Flu shot?" Roxy asked.

"No way! Needles are scary! They can puncture a major vein and you could bleed out" Bonnie replied, pocketing her tissue.

At that moment, the three boys entered the yard through a loose fence post. Jamie had his nose deep in his book and was getting very excited.

"It says here that they found Bigfoot hair samples and DNA, in Michigan! That's like, SUPER close!"

"Here we go again," Claude sighed.

Jamie shrugged it off as he ran for his sled. "You saw the video to, Claude. He's out there."

"That's what you said about aliens," Caleb mocked.

"And the Easter Bunny," his brother added.

Jamie laughed. "The Easter Bunny is real!"

From his perch on the fence Jack added, "Oh, he's real alright. Real annoying, real grumpy, and _really_ full of himself."

But his comment went unnoticed as Claude laughed at his friends. "Come on, you guys believe anything!"

From the porch, Sophie laughed at the mention of the Easter Bunny. She smiled and hopped down the steps. "Easter Bunny! Hop, hop, hop." On the last jump, Sophie knocked into Abby's side and fell to the ground. "Ow!"

Roxy jumped off the roof and went to her sister's sighed. Jamie sighed. "Mom, Sophie fell again!"

At that moment, Mrs. Bennett entered the back yard. She had been coming to give Jamie his hat when her son called. She looked over Sophie. "You okay, Soph?"

"She's alright, Mom," Roxy assured her.

Mrs. Bennett smiled and turned to catch her son before he could leave. "Jamie, hat! You don't want Jack Frost nippin' at your nose." She placed the hat on his head, and turned back to the house.

"Who's Jack Frost?" Jamie asked.

"No one, honey. Its just an expression."

"Hey!" Jack said offended. He was used to being ignored, but it still stung to hear someone say he wasn't real.

The boys only laughed and headed off to the park. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennett gathered Sophie into her arms and headed back inside the house. "Girls, you coming inside?"

Bonnie was about to answer when Roxy grabbed her arm. "We're heading off with the boys. Be back later."

Roxy then dragged Bonnie out off the yard and after the boys. Meanwhile, Jack, having decided to show Mrs. Bennett he was more than an expression. He found Jamie and the twins had gathered by some their friends, Pippa and Monty, and an idea crept into his head. Using a little magic, Jack soon had the kids in a huge snowball fight. They were laughing and throwing all the snowballs Jack made for them.

Not one to miss out, Roxy ran over and joined in the fight. Bonnie decided to watch from the sidelines. She was content until one of Roxy's snowballs hit her well beloved stuffed rabbit. She looked up to see Roxy giving her an apologetic smile, until Monty hit her in the face with a snowball. She turned her focus back to the game. Bonnie glared after her friend before turning around and going back to the house.

Roxy was having so much fun. As she readied another snowball, she spotted a tall figure among the group. She gasped and nearly dropped her snowball. The teen boy was laughing and throwing at the kids, all of them unaware to his presence. Roxy smiled as she recalled he still looked the same as the night she'd seen him when she was eight. Grinning impishly, Roxy drew back her hand and hurled her snowball. It made a direct hit.

The surprise of the hit shocked Jack. He looked around until his eyes almost locked with Roxy. For a moment, he could have sworn she was looking right at him. She smiled and tossed another snowball, but when he went to duck, the snowball flew right past him. He turned to see Jamie standing directly behind him. The snowball hit the boy, causing him to fall back into a snowman. Jack sighed, figuring Roxy must have been aiming at her brother the whole time. He was about to get back into the game, when everyone suddenly froze.

A stray snowball had managed to hit a rather large girl, with brown hair cut past her ears. She wore a black shirt, a pink tutu, brown boots, pink striped tights, and a pink jacket. As she turned, her brown eyes were filled with anger and she snarled at the group.

"Crud! I hit Cupcake!" Pippa whispered. All the kids began to panic.

"She hit Cupcake!"

"You hit Cupcake!"

from his fallen position, Jamie covered himself with his sled as Cupcake approached the group. She held the snowman's head in her hands and was looking for the one who had the audacity to hit her. Before she could find her target, another snowball hit her smack in the face. Everyone gasped.

"Oh!"

"Did you throw that?"

"No!"

"Wasn't me!"

As the kids began to panic, Jack smiled. He was crouched atop his staff and smiling as his snowball's magic began to take effect. Soon Cupcake began to laugh and her anger was forgotten. Seeing she was having fun, the kids laughed and the game started up again. Cupcake chased after her friends, holding the snowman's head high in the air, ready to throw it on whoever was the closest.

Jack laughed as she watched them, and noticed Jamie at the front, still clutching his sled. He got an idea and flew down and created a patch of ice. "Little slippery!" he warned.

Of course, no one heard him and Jamie went tumbling, landing on his sled and speeding away out of control. Jamie's friends looked up and panicked as the boy went into the street. Roxy felt her heart stop as she watched.

"JAMIE!"

"Whoa!" Jack quickly went after him to make sure Jamie didn't get hurt.

**XXX**

"Bonnie, are you spending the night again?" Mrs. Bennett asked from the kitchen. She noticed the girl's luggage by the door when she had entered the house earlier.

"Yes Mrs. Bennett," Bonnie replied, smiling. She was sitting in the living room trying to dry off her rabbit. Bonnie fondly stroked the slightly damp rabbit. She had no problem watching snowball fights, commenting on them, and playing referee, but she didn't like to participate in the actual fight. She had a bad habit of being hit to hard or being hit in the head.

At that moment Jamie and Roxy can through the door. "We're back!" Roxy called.

"Again, sorry about that," Roxy laughed. She stayed by the door as she removed her boots and gloves.

"Its okay…now," Bonnie said, stroking Butterfluff again. "I know you didn't mean it."

"Hey Mom, look what I got!" Jamie ran over and presented a tooth to his mother. She smiled and took the tooth. Bonnie looked up and grimaced at the sight of the slightly bloodied tooth.

Mrs. Bennett handed him back the tooth. "Well, someone's getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy tonight. Okay everyone, dinner will be ready soon, so go wash up for dinner."

"But Mom, I wanted to tell you how I lost my tooth," Jamie complained.

"You can tell all of us after dinner," Mrs. Bennett said. "Now upstairs. Roxy, bonnie. You too."

"Okay, Mom. Come on, Bon." Roxy nudged her best friend and headed upstairs.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel: **Again, sorry for any changes, but I hope you all still liked it. Thanks for having a backup, Cosmic.

**Cosmic Horse: **No problem darlin'.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Just More Complicated**

That night Jamie was super excited. His mother and Sophie, plus Roxy and Bonnie had gathered in his room to hear about Jamie's day. He jumped all around his bedroom and up on his bed as he talked about what happened with his friends.

"It was awesome! Then I was flying down the hill and it was like whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh through cars. And then the sled hit this-this thing, and I went _way_ up in the air, and then BAM!" landing on his back "the sofa hit me."

"Wow!" Sophie whispered.

"And-and see!" Jamie opened his mouth and pointed. "My tooth came out!"

Sophie laughed and pointed at the now empty space in Jaime's front teeth.

Mrs. Bennett smiled at her son's wild tale, but it was getting very late. "Alright you. Tooth under your pillow?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready" He set his toy on the nightstand in exchange for his flashlight.

"Now don't stay up trying to see her, Jamie. She won't come..."

"But I can do it this time," he insisted. "You wanna help me, Soph? We can hide and see the Tooth Fairy."

"Hide, hide, hide, hide, hide!"

"Uh-uh, straight to bed young lady." Mrs. Bennett gathered Sophie into her arms and threw her playfully in the air. Everyone laughed. No one noticed the hooded figure outside Jamie's bedroom window. Jack Frost smiled at the family he'd grown to watch over the past few years. That smile vanished as he remembered earlier, after Jamie's little sleigh ride, when Jamie's tooth had been knocked loose. All the kids believed their whole day had been the Tooth Fairy's doing. No one saw him or heard his protests; they just walked through him as they went on about the Tooth Fairy. Not wanting to look anymore, Jack crept away.

Soon Jamie got under the covers and Mrs. Bennett was about to carry her youngest child off to her room. "And Roxana, I don't want you and Bonnie up too late either."

"Okay Mom." Roxy watched her mother close the door, then turned back to Jamie. "Hey, let me see that tooth again." Roxy said, taking the tooth from Jamie.

Now that the tooth was free of gum and blood, Bonnie also admired the tooth. "It is pretty good Jamie. Have you been flossing?" she asked, smiling at the boy.

"The Tooth Fairy should at least give you a dollar for it bro," she said, handing the tooth back. Jamie gave her a toothy grin before placing it back under his pillow. Roxy tucked Jamie back in and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. "Night Jamie."

"Nigh sis," Jamie said as he snuggled into bed. "If I see the Tooth Fairy, I call you."

"Okay." Roxy smiled. She held open the door for Bonnie. As she followed her friend out, Roxy stopped and turned back to Jamie. "Hey Jamie?"

"What?" he yawned, clearly tired from the day's adventure.

"About what Mom said earlier, you know about Jack Frost?" She saw him nod his head. "She's wrong, he's real. I've seen him."

"Really? How?" Jamie asked, awakened by curiosity.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone." Jamie nodded his head and Roxy laughed, recalling that night. "Okay, here's what happened: I was a little younger than you, and I went skating on the lake by the woods. I fell and got knocked out. When I woke up I was in our living room wrapped in a blanket. Mom still doesn't know how I made it into the house without her or Dad knowing. They found me on the couch in the living room, and the door was still locked. Before they came, I saw him. I only caught a glance because Mom and Dad scared him off, but I saw he had a long wooden staff and he wore no shoes. And his hair and skin were as white as new fallen snow."

"Wow! I wished I could've seen him," Jamie exclaimed.

"Maybe. It was rare for me to even see him. After all, he's invisible so no one can catch him in his mischief." Roxy smiled and winked. "Now, time for you to get some sleep."

Roxy quietly shut the door as Jamie fell back to sleep. She smiled and turned to join Bonnie in her room. As she turned she ran into her mom. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was looking at Roxy with downcast eyes.

"I wish you wouldn't encourage that behavior, Roxana," Mrs. Bennett reprimanded her daughter. "Jamie's too old to be believing in things like that."

Roxy slightly rolled her eyes. "You are never too old to believe, Mom," she said, crossing her arms.

Mrs. Bennett smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Roxana. I wish you would start acting your age. You're almost eighteen."

"Mom, it's who I am." Roxy smiled and gave her mom a hug. "I'll see you in the morning." Roxy walked past her mom and into her room.

**XXX**

"I just feel silly doing this Bon. What if Jamie catches us?" It was around 11: 45 p.m. as Roxy walked to her younger brother's bedroom door with Bonnie at her side. The two girls had been up all night talking in Roxy's room when Bonnie had the idea to slip a dollar under Jamie's pillow. Roxy had dismissed the idea, but here she was, walking in her black and gray flannel pants and white tank top, going along with Bonnie's scheme. Funny. Usually it was her talking Bonnie into this sort of thing.

"If he does catch us, so what? WE still believe, so why should he care? Besides, maybe the Tooth Fairy will actually be there. Wouldn't that be exciting?" Bonnie replied, sounding bolder than she ever had before. Which was hard to take seriously, given that she wore her thick white cotton nightgown, cut off at the knees and thin spaghetti straps holding it up. Some lace and little bows were sewn along the sweetheart neckline, and there were ruffles along the hem at her knees.

"Definitely. It'd be nice to see what she really looks like, instead of those dumb stereotypes where she's some ballerina princess–"

"YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAW!" A loud shout was heard from inside the bedroom. "Hey, did you hear that?"

Bonnie gulped. "Maybe this was a bad idea…" she said, clutching her rabbit closer to her body.

**XXX**

Earlier, after leaving the Bennett house, Jack had been taken to the North Pole and told he was to become a Guardian, and help stop Pitch Black from endangering the children of the world. He refused until there was an attack on the Tooth Palace. Pitch had captured all but one of the Tooth Fairy's mini fairies and the tooth boxes of every tooth lost by a child. Without the fairies, teeth could not be collected, and without the teeth, the most memories of childhood would be lost, including Jack Frost's memories. It was the reason he agreed to help the Guardians. If he got back his memories, then he would finally know his life before becoming Jack Frost and finally know why he was chosen.

Since Pitch had captured Tooth's mini fairies, the other Guardians — North, Sandman, Bunnymund, and Jack Frost — had agreed to help Tooth gather the baby teeth of children all over the world. And of course, the boys had to turn it into a competition of who could collect the most teeth. Tooth and Jack had just collected Jamie's tooth when the others joined them. Jack and Bunnymund instantly got in an argument about who had the most teeth.

"You think I need help to beat a bunny?" Jack whipped out his bag. "Check it out Peter Cotton-tail."

"You call that a bag a choppers?" Bunny sneered and took out a larger bag. "Now _that's_ a bag a choppers!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. This is about Tooth. Is not a competition. But if it was–" North just couldn't resist rubbing in his own success as he set down his sack of teeth. "I win! YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAW"

North's loud cheer woke Jamie. Thinking the Tooth Fairy had come, he grabbed and aimed his flashlight, hoping to catch the Tooth Fairy. Instead he got something better.

"Oh no!" North whispered.

Jamie gasped. Using his flashlight, he named off everyone he saw. "Santa Clause. The Easter Bunny?" Bunnymund waved and gave a nervous laugh. "Sandman." Sandy smiled and waved. "The Tooth Fairy! I knew you'd come."

"Surprise! We came," Tooth laughed.

"He can see us?" Jack asked in amazement. Jack waited hopefully as Jaime scanned all the Guardians. Well, all but one.

"Most of us…" Bunnymund corrected.

"Shh, you guys. He's still awake," Tooth reminded the arguing Guardians.

Bunnymund quickly turned to Sandman. "Sandy, knock him out."

"Huh?" Jamie stared in conferment as Sandy nodded and then walked toward Jamie pounding one fist into his other hand.

Bunnymund shook his head. "With the dream sand, ya gumbies!" He was cut off by a low growl. All the arguing had woken Jamie's dog, and she was none to happy to see strange people in her boy's room, especially Bunnymund.

"No stop, that's the Easter Bunny. What are you doing, Abby? Down." Jamie tried to reassure the dog that the strangers were welcome. The dog just continued to growl.

"Alright, nobody panic," Bunny stated, setting his tooth sack on the ground.

"But that's a, umm…that's a Greyhound. Do you know what Greyhounds _do_ to rabbits?" Jack asked with slight sarcasm.

"I think it's a pretty safe bet he's never met a rabbit like me," Bunny stated confidently. Hearing the uncertainty in his friend's voice, Sandman prepared a rather large ball of dreamsand to use on the dog. Meanwhile Bunnymund started sizing up his opponent. "Six foot one, nerves of steel, Master of _T'ai Chi_, and the ancient art of–"

Jack leaned his staff over and nudge Jamie's alarm clock, causing it to go off while also setting Abby off.

"Crikey!" Bunnymund took off with Abby right on his tail.

Poor Jamie tried to calm the dog down but it was useless. Bunnymund jumped all over the room. Even the Guardians tried to help. North encouraged Sandy to use his dreamsand, but while the Sandman was aiming for a shot Abby jumped on him, causing him to loose his grip on the dreamsand and letting loose about the room. North managed to dodge the glowing orb but it smacked Tooth Fairy and Baby Tooth, causing them to fall asleep with visions off teeth dancing in their heads.

"This thing's rabid! Get this dingo off of me!" Bunnymund yelled before the out of control dreamsand hit him in the face. Bunnymund fell backwards against the bed, dream carrots floating above him. The ball then hit Abby with a bone dream before knocking North in the back of his head.

He stumbled backwards in a daze, mumbling "Candy canes" before falling back onto Jamie's bed. His large weight propelled Jamie into the air and landing in Sandman's arms. He looked at Sandy just as the Dream Maker nodded, sprinkling dreamsand into Jamie's eyes, and causing him to fall back asleep, along with three of the Guardians.

"Whoops," Jack said. He turned to look at Sandy.

"What the heck?!"

Both Jack and Sandy froze and turned to see Roxy and Bonnie standing in the doorway, slack jawed and eyes wide.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel****:** Ooh, suspense. What's gonna happen next? You'll have to read the next chapter.

**Cosmic Horse:** Sorry for the cliffy so early on, but this chapter was getting **painfully** long


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Two Girls and The Guardians**

Bonnie was clutching a dollar in her hand while Roxy still had a grip on the doorknob. Looking around, the sight before them was one not normally seen when entering a child's bedroom. On the floor by the door was a large six or seven-foot tall grayish-blue furred rabbit, with flower-like imprints on his forehead and shoulders. On the other side of the bed was a woman with tan skin and her body was covered in miniature and draping feathers, giving the appearance of a gown, in various shades of green, blue, and pink; some colored gold to give the appearance of jewelry. And on Jamie's bed was a large man with black eyebrows and a white beard and mustache. He wore a black fur hat, a red plaid shirt, a long red coat with black fur trim, and cassock-style pants with boots, both in black.

The girls' eyes then drifted to Jack Frost and Sandman. Roxy couldn't take her eyes off the golden man who was carrying the sleeping form of her brother in his arms. Meanwhile Bonnie was staring at the scene with a mixture of fear and surprise. How had these people snuck into Jamie's room? And… Was that a giant fluffy bunny? There was a moment where nobody moved.

Jack nudged Sandy and asked, "Sandy, what do we do?"

Sandy shrugged his shoulders. Neither one knew exactly what to do. They had just gone through all that trouble when Jamie had spotted the Guardians, and that had resulted in everyone but Jack and Sandy falling asleep. Now here were these two teenage girls staring at them (apart from Jack who was still invisible), but before another word was spoken, or another idea thought, the silence was broken by a very loud squee.

"BUNNY!" Bonnie launched herself over to Bunnymund and glomped her arms around his neck. She nuzzled against his cheek, rubbing her face into his fur. Jack and Sandman just stared at the odd, and slightly uncomfortable, sight. It also didn't help that Bunny, who was cuddling with North's arm, carrot dream collided with North's candy canes, and began to put on a tap-dancing floorshow.

_I'm never gonna let the kangaroo live this down_, Jack thought. "Oh, I really wish I had a camera right now." Sandy turned to give Jack a look.

"Pet the fluffy bunny. Pet the fluffy bunny," Bonnie chanted over and over while stroking Bunnymund's fuzzy cheek. Jack could hardly hold back the laugh building in his throat. He put a hand over his mouth but some laughter filtered through.

"I apologize for this," Roxy said, "but at the same time, I really don't." Then she started laughing too. Before long Jack and Sandy joined in. Bonnie remained preoccupied with her snuggling.

"But seriously, I don't think you're gonna pry her off anytime soon. Bonnie _loves_ rabbits so your friend there is kinda stuck." Sandy smiled and held out his hands for Roxana to take the still sleeping Jamie.

"Oh thanks." Roxy took her brother and placed him back in his bed, doing her best since North took up most of the tiny bed. She propped him up against North, then turned back to Sandman and Jack. "So what are you doing in my little brother's bedroom anyway?"

Sandman tried his best to explain but sadly, his little sand picture show did not help. Poor Roxy could not understand what he was trying to say. Noticing the poor girl's confusion, Jack sighed and shook his head.

"She can't understand you, Sandy," Jack told him. "If I can't read your flashing picture show, pretty sure she's not gonna get it."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Roxy plainly put. "Maybe you'd care to explain what five of history's famous mythological figures are doing in my little brother's bedroom, and why three of them are past out on the floor?"

Jack was about to reply when 'it' hit him. Roxy wasn't talking to Sandman, and everyone else was in a deep sleep. She was talking directly to him, which meant only one thing: she could _see_ him. But before he could say anything, Sandy saw something outside the window. Jack turned only to lock eyes with two Nightmares. One snorted before they flew off.

"Sandy, come on! We can find Pitch!" Jack called as he raced after the Nightmare. Sandy was unsure about leaving the children alone, but he couldn't let Jack fight Pitch on his own. So, after stepping over Tooth, he jumped out the window to follow Jack.

"Wait–" But it was too late. Jack Frost and the Sandman had flown off, leaving her alone with three supernatural and unconscious beings, one of which her best friend was cuddling into an early grave. She sighed. "Well, guess I'll have to wake them up." _Only question is, how am I gonna do it?_

Roxy decided to start with Santa Claus. She tried tapping his shoulder, then shaking him a little. Not even the smallest budge could wake him. She even tried calling his name but nothing worked.

"I know. I bet Bonnie has some left over smelling salts in her bag." Roxy left to check Bonnie's suitcase in her bedroom for the salts.

While Roxy left in search of the salts, little Sophie had woken up and entered Jamie's bedroom. Her presence went unnoticed by Bonnie, who was still too preoccupied cuddling the unconscious Bunnymund. The young girl's eyes widen and she laughed in delight when she saw the Guardians. She immediately went for Santa Claus, hoping to sit on his lap and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. However, the tiny girl was too small to crawl up the side of the bed, let alone on North's lap, and slid off the side. Part of North's coat slipped open and a snow globe slipped out of his pocket. The swirling snow caught Sophie's attention.

"Pretty!" She took the globe in her hands to get a better look. Through the clear glass, Sophie turned saw Bunnymund's sleeping form. She lowered the globe and smiled, excited to see a large rabbit.

"Bunny! Hop, hop, hop!" Sophie laughed and jumped at the sight of the large rabbit. With that thought in mind, an image of three large Easter eggs appeared inside the globe. Sophie was in awe of the image, causing her to laugh more. She jumped up and down until she tripped over Abby, dropping the globe. "Ow!"

The fall shook the globe and caused a portal to open. Seeing the bright colors Sophie picked herself up and rushed into the strange world. As quickly as it was summoned, the portal and Sophie were gone.

"Wha? Huh?" North woke for a brief second and look around, but quickly fell back to sleep.

Roxy reentered the room moments later. She couldn't find any smelling salts, so it was time for Plan C. Not liking having to be the one in charge, Roxana dashed to her friend's side. "Bon, ya need to let go of the rabbit," she told her.

"No!" Bonnie tightened her grip on Bunnymund.

Roxy huffed. "Bon, I need you to wake the Easter Bunny up and to do that, he needs to breathe. So release or–" picking up the discarded toy rabbit, "So help me, Butterfluff becomes Abby's new chew toy."

"You wouldn't dare… Okay, maybe you would," Bonnie replied, promptly letting go of Bunnymund to grasp Butterfluff.

"That's good, now help me wake these guys up." The girls set to work waking up the Guardians. Roxy tried to wake up the Tooth Fairy. When tapping her shoulder and shaking her didn't work, Roxy grabbed Baby Tooth and poked Tooth in the shoulder using Baby Tooth's nose. Both fairies promptly woke up, Roxy apologizing for the rude awakening. Meanwhile, Bonnie carefully blew into Bunnymund's ear, promptly waking the rabbit guardian.

"What the buggar!?" Bunnymund bolted up before rubbing his ear with a hind foot. "Who was bloody blowin' in me ear?"

"Sorry Mr. Easter Bunny, but you needed to wake up," Bonnie said apologetically.

"Hey, excuse me, but how do we wake this guy up?" Roxy pointed to North, still snoring away.

Bonnie stood and said, "Search his pockets. Is there a candy cane anywhere?"

Roxy found one right away. Handing the candy cane to her friend, Bonnie positioned the candy next to Santa's ear and snapped it. He bolted awake and said, "Why is all eggnog gone?"

"North, there is no eggnog. You were hit with Sandy's dreamsand, remember?" Tooth said.

Looking around, Bunny asked, "Speakin' a which, where are Sandy and Frost? And can someone get this Sheila off me." He gestured to Bonnie clinging onto his arm.

Roxy was the one to answer. "In answer to your first question, they flew out the window after some dark shadow thing. And for the second…Yeah, good luck. Personally I'd go for the crowbar."

"Oh no, they're going after Pitch!" Tooth fretted.

Bonnie's eyes widened. She let go of Bunnymund, who promptly hopped behind North. "Pitch?" she half asked. "You said they're going after Pitch?"

Roxy turned to Bonnie. "You don't think they're talking about _your_ Pitch, do you?" Bonnie nodded her head and touched her pendant of black sand.

"Wait a bloomin' minute!" Bunnymund said, "You two know Pitch?"

"Well, her more than me," Roxy replied, "but can we get back to the fact that you just said the Boogeyman is on a rampage?"

"There is too much explain," North said. "We go now. You better come with."

"Say what?" both girls said at the same time.

"Jinx, you own me a soda!" Bonnie said, pointing at Roxy.

Roxy groaned and said, "Not the time Bon!"

Bunnymund tapped the ground, opening a tunnel to the outside. North grabbed both girls and tossed them down the rabbit hole, which led to the sidewalk. When they landed outside, Bunnymund was again glomped by Bonnie, who had been frightened by the sudden drop. North, Tooth and Baby Tooth followed them.

"Um, North… Isn't your sleigh on the roof?" Tooth asked.

North cursed in Russian before he touched his nose and flew to the roof to gather the sleigh. He flew the reindeer onto the street and everyone loaded in. With a crack of the reins, they were off. Bonnie cowered in the back, eyes clamped closed, while Roxy sat near the front enjoying every minute of it. However, the sleigh went off course several times, once almost crashing had Roxy not grabbed the reigns and pulled up. Looking around, she realized she had to drive because North, Tooth, and Bunnymund were still a bit drowsy.

"Bonnie, you better hold onto that rabbit. I'm driving," Roxy called and Bonnie latched onto Bunnymund.

They began to descend towards the street where Jack and Sandman were battling Pitch and his army of Nightmares. They looked like they were surrounded, and Sandy was using his dreamsand whips to fend them off. Roxy tried to land the sleigh on the street, however not being used to steering such a craft, she flew over Pitch and accidentally smashed into the top of a building while trying to avoid a crash. The jolt from the impact woke North, causing him to toss Tooth onto Bunny, waking both of them. With North fully woken up, Roxy shoved the reins into his hands.

"Here you go! I can't fly these things straight!" she said before jumping into the back with Bonnie. She had to let go of Bunnymund, so she now clung to her friend's arm.

Meanwhile, Sandy grabbed Jack and flew them both straight into the air. As he ascended Sandy tossed Jack off to the side, releasing him to the wind to fly above the swarm. Jack hit a corporal Nightmare, freezing the creature. Tooth flew out of the sleigh to fly through the Nightmares, destroying them at her touch. While she and Jack fought the Nightmares in the sky, North and Bunnymund fought from the sleigh. Bunnymund raced along the reindeer and dropped down, landing on a roof. Pulling out his boomerangs, he fought off the Nightmares. He caught the sleigh just as North flew the reindeer in low next to the building. Tossing the reins back to Roxy, North drew his swords to join in the fight.

"What did I say about– Oh snap!" she cried as she flew the sleigh into a herd of Nightmares. While North sliced through several Nightmares, Jack had been blindsided when a pair of Nightmares had charged him. He had slipped between them, making them collide, but his maneuver caused him to knock into another Nightmare. He lost his staff in the process and was free falling toward the city street. He spotted the sleigh coming in below him, and reached for his staff. He grabbed it just in time and landed on the wing of the sleigh.

Bunnymund looked over to him and nonchalantly said, "You might wanna duck." A Nightmare was charging towards the sleigh. Jack ducked just as Bunnymund's boomerang swept through the Nightmare.

"Yeah! Bunny with the win!" Roxy shouted. She glanced at the boys when she noticed there was something off about the scene. It was then she realized that Bonnie wasn't next to Bunnymund anymore. She started searching around the sleigh, when a falling figure caught her attention. "BONNIE!" she shouted.

Bonnie had been knocked out of the sleigh when Roxy had driven into the herd. Now, she was falling. Her shear fear attracted the Nightmares, making them pull away from the Guardians and chase after Bonnie. Hearing Roxy's shout, North sheathed his swords and took the reins. But even the reindeer would not be fast enough to reach Bonnie in time.

Bonnie didn't cry for Roxy, Bunnymund or anyone. She shouted out, "PITCH!"

Not far off, Pitch had joined the fight but remain aloof from his perch on a Nightmare. He noticed that his creatures had suddenly pulled away from the fight and were plunging towards a falling figure.

"PITCH!"

The scream reached his ears and made Pitch spur the Nightmare after the figure. The creature wasn't fast enough for Pitch so he shadow jumped to Bonnie's side, catching her bridal style before conjuring up another Nightmare. Bonnie clung to him, burying her head into his chest. He made a quick landing, placing Bonnie on the sidewalk with firm instructions to, "Stay here."

"Pitch!" Bonnie called as he flew off again.

Pitch ignored the strain in his heart as he flew to see Sandy surrounded by Pitch's nightmare sand. He used his dreamsand whips to fend off as many Nightmares as he could, but he was outnumbered severely.

Jack saw the swarming sand surrounding his friend, then he noticed Pitch only a few feet away. Jack knew Pitch was planning something. He turned to North. "We gotta help Sandy!" Nodding, North steered the sleigh towards the rising black sand column, Tooth not far behind.

Pitch was already where he needed to be. Using his black sand, he made up an arrow tip and fired, hitting his mark. Right into Sandman's back.

"NO!" Jack leapt from the sleigh, using all his power to reach Sandy in time. the others tried to call him back, but Jack was already too far ahead to hear them.

Sandman stumbled to his knees as he tried to fight off the black sand's corrupting powers.

Pitch laughed. "Don't fight the fear, little man."

Tooth rushed to help Jack but she was cut off as a group of Nightmares surrounded her and the sleigh. Tooth and Bunny fought to protect Roxy while North desperately tried to keep the sleigh straight. North knew they wouldn't reach him in time. The only one who stood a chance was Jack. So, as loud as he could, North shouted, "Hurry! Hurry, Jack!"

"I'd say sweet dreams… but there aren't any left!" Pitch watched with a satisfied smirk as his black sand spread faster over Sandman's body. He tried to fight it, but the fear was too strong. He knew he would lose. Not even Jack could save him in time. Yet Sandman refused to give Pitch the satisfaction that he'd beaten him. He stood and glared back at his enemy with one last defiant look. Then, the Sandman was gone.

"Sandy?" North gasped in horror. Pitch had destroyed Sandman.

Jack felt his anger rise. "No… NOOO!" He charged Pitch in a blind rage, wanting nothing more than to avenge his friend. Pitch sneered and conjured a wave of Nightmares to devour Jack. He was quickly enveloped in the darkness.

"JACK!" Roxy screamed as the Nightmares completely consumed him. Tooth had to pull her back before she fell out of the sleigh.

Pitch smiled but suddenly, a light pierced through the Nightmares. It glowed brighter and suddenly, an eruption of power emerged from Jack, dispersing the Nightmares in a chaotic spray. The power engulfed them, turning them to ice, and knocking Pitch to the ground before exploding. However, the power had taken a lot of strength, and Jack also plummeted to the ground.

"JACK!" North cried, spotting his falling form. Flying as fast as her wings would allow, Tooth caught Jack and brought him to the sleigh. She settled him against the seat next to Roxy, and he slowly came to. Roxy helped him as he tried to sit up.

"Jack, h-how did you do that?" Tooth questioned.

He grunted as he tried to sit up. His was exhausted from the power he'd used, but more than that, he was amazed by the power itself. "I-I didn't know I could." was all he could answer her with.

"We need to get out of here!" North took a snow globe from his pocket and opened a portal to the North Pole.

**XXX**

Bonnie had watched the scene unfold and, while she wanted Sandy to win, she also didn't want Pitch to get hurt. When the golden sand was consumed by darkness and Jack attacked Pitch, making him fall out of the air, her heart acted before her mind could make a decision. She ran to him. She caught up to him just as Pitch laughed when he watched the sleigh disappear into the portal. Truly, Jack Frost was more than the little nobody he appeared to be.

"Finally! Someone who knows how to have a little fun." With a satisfied smirk, he turned and came face to face with Bonnie. He stepped towards her. In his eyes, she looked radiant. Her thick winter nightgown hid some of her figure but she was still beautiful. She looked so scared and stepped away from him.

"Bonnie…" he began but she cut him off with a stammer.

"You… You killed Sandy…" she said, looking away from him. "But you saved me… _Why_? Why Pitch?"

Pitch didn't answer right away. What would he say? He looked away. "I care more about you than I do some silly sandman."

"But he brought good dreams…" Bonnie said softly, meeting his eyes.

"Good dreams are useless," Pitch replied mockingly.

"Even when I dream of you?" Bonnie asked, her eyes pleading with his.

He wanted to respond, but the portal opened again. The Guardians were coming. Quicker than a flash, he was close in front of Bonnie. He trailed his fingers down her cheek before shadow jumping away, leaving the poor girl confused and bewildered. The sleigh landed and Roxy leapt from the sleigh, launching herself at Bonnie.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Roxy pulled away from her friend to check her for any injuries.

"I apologize," North said. "If not for Roxana, we might have left you behind."

"Are you hurt, did those mares get to you?" Roxy asked.

"I'm alright…confused but alright," Bonnie replied, giving her a sheepish smile.

"Thank the stars–" Roxy started to stay but was cut off but the Tooth Fairy.

"Oh my gosh, did Pitch hurt you at all?" She quickly searched Bonnie for any sign of injury, ending with a thorough check of her mouth. "Okay, still intact, but someone needs to floss."

"What in blue blazes just happened?" Bunnymund asked, still hiding behind North.

"Yes, is very strange Pitch would save you — Pitch hates children," North stated.

"He doesn't hate me…" she replied very quietly, but North and Roxy heard it.

North promptly grabbed Bonnie's arms and brought her eye level with him. "What did he do? He hypnotize you? Are you acting as spy?! Can he see us through your eyeballs?" He searched her eyes for any type of clue of Pitch.

"Please put me down," Bonnie said, her voice pleading as she shook like a leaf in the winter breeze.

"Santa, please, put her down," Roxy pleaded. "You are a big, Russian Cossack, and you're kinda scaring her." North set Bonnie down and she turned into Roxy's arms. Roxy whispered comforting words to Bonnie before turning to address the Guardians.

"Look, I know this may be hard to believe, but trust me when I say that Pitch would never hurt Bonnie." Everyone looked dumbstruck. Bunnymund stepped out from behind North, a skeptical look on his face.

"And just how would you know that, Sheila?" he asked, "You don't know Pitch like we do. In case ya forgot, he just destroyed the Sandman and he's plotting to destroy the happiness of children all over the world, and you're _defending_ him?! We've been around longer than you and Pitch is one of the most evil, cruel, destructive; downright, no good son of dingo I ever met, and–"

Bonnie stomped her foot and shouted, actually shouted, "**You don't know him at all!**" She got right up into Bunnymund's face. "He is the kindest, most caring sort of being I have met in a long time up until I met Roxy and you guys. He never hurt me and actually became my **friend**. You can't judge him based on past experiences, Mr. Easter Bunny. People — and supernatural beings — can change. I highly doubt you were such a belligerent, stubborn, Peter Cotton Tail before today. Of course I would defend my friends! If that doesn't sit with you, then I no longer see a need for me to be here." She turned and started to walk away. "Pitch can always find me, especially if I get scared, which should be easy."

Bunnymund's jaw dropped and one ear twitched.

"Wow, you just got chewed out by a girl… Who carries around a bunny plushy, _and_ is afraid of Santa," Jack said, coming to stand next to Bunnymund.

"I take offense to this," North said, hearing him being mentioned.

Tooth asked, "Is she really leaving?"

"Afraid so," Roxy said. "When Bonnie gets mad like that, no one messes with her. _I_ can't even get near her when she's like this. It's best to let her cool off for a bit. Unless, a certain Peter Cotton Butt wants to apologize…" She let the offer hang, making Bunnymund groan and Jack snicker.

Bunnymund shook his head. "We don't have time to deal with feelings," he said, hopping towards the sleigh. "Come on, we've got a Guardian to burry."

Bonnie suddenly stopped, turned, and headed towards the sleigh. She rummaged around a bit before pulling Butterfluff out of the sleigh. "Almost forgot you," she said, cradling the stuffed rabbit. She turned to walk away again when Roxy stepped in front of her. She placed her hand on her friend's shoulder to prevent her from walking away.

"Bon, please don't," Roxy asked. "I know you're mad, but don't forget that they lost a friend today. We should pay our respects."

Bonnie looked away and down at the ground before saying, "Fine." She turned and stomped to the sleigh, climbing in and taking a seat.

Roxy sat on her right while Bunnymund got stuck on her left. She turned and glared at Bunnymund. "I'm still mad at you!" she said before facing forward.

Glancing over Bunnymund noticed the plush bunny in Bonnie's lap. "What's with the rabbit?"

"That is Butterfluff," Bonnie muttered matter-of-factly.

"Butterfluff?"

"Yeah don't ask," Roxy interjected. She noticed Bonnie had yet to forgive the Easter Bunny so she had to play peacekeeper. "She called him Bun-Bun since she was eight, then changed it to Butterfluff for some reason. I seriously suggest you just not ask."

Not wanting to further irritate the girl, Bunny sat back. As the sleigh took off Roxy could see the puzzled expression on Bunnymund's face as he mouthed, "Butterfluff?"

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** You didn't have to be that mean to Bunny, ya know. It's his job to protect the children from evil like the Boogieman.

**Cosmic Horse:** Well, in this story, I'm a Pitch fan. I do love Bunny but I can poke fun at him if I want to.

**GodlyJewel:** Point made. Moving on, moving on.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Eggs and Memories**

The troupe arrived at the North Pole. They unloaded from the sleigh and made their way inside the workshop. Unfortunately, Bonnie and Roxy were unable to fully absorb the magic and wonder of the workshop. Having had no time to grab warmer attire, the two girls were in the cold North Pole in nothing more than flimsy pajamas.

Bonnie clung tightly to Roxy, making the girl say, "Umm… Santa?"

"Please, call me North."

Roxy rubbed her arms and shivered. "North. Could we get a blanket or something?" she asked. "Bonnie and I aren't used to the cold, and she's cutting off my circulation."

Looking at the still pajama clad girls, North laughed before snapping his fingers. "Yetis bring blankets, hot coco and some clothes for our guests."

A small group of Yetis brought the girls blankets and hot coco while a few of them searched the workshop for some clothing. They found some loud Christmas print flannel pants and ugly Christmas sweaters for them to wear. One Yeti, a tan one who had stopped working on some red robots, stole Butterfluff from Bonnie.

"Bring me my bunny back you!" she cried, chasing after the Yeti.

Roxy ran after Bonnie and caught her by her shoulder. "Bonnie, did you forget? We have a friend's funeral to attend. You can have Butterfluff back afterwards."

Bonnie frowned but followed her friend. They gathered around Sandman's symbol. The girls, the Yetis, and the elves all stood solemn while the Guardians preformed the ceremony. They each knelt and placed a lit candle before the fallen Guardian's symbol, Tooth being the last. She tried her best to hold back the tears as she joined her comrades. Not even North could bring himself to say anything when Tooth turned to him. She turned to find Bunny trying his best to fight back the tears that pooled in his eyes. The three Guardians took each other's hands and bowed their heads to mourn their fallen friend and ally. The Yetis also bowed their heads in respect as the elves used their bells to play a song of departure. Roxy also bowed her head, while Bonnie restricted her glares to Bunnymund and the tan Yeti that had returned from somewhere. The group dispersed when the ceremony was completed.

The tan Yeti hesitantly approached Bonnie. Both his hands were behind his back. She glared at him before he brought his large hands out in front, revealing Butterfluff, perfectly clean and a bright red bow tied around his neck. He looked brand new, besides the grey patches from Pitch. Bonnie's eyes widened as he handed Butterfluff back to her.

"You did this for me?" she asked, gently taking the rabbit.

The tan Yeti nodded. Bonnie smiled and said, "I love the bow." The Yeti threw his hands up in great success.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Rota," he replied, smiling under his furry face. Bonnie and Rota continued to visit until the ceremony started.

During the silence, Roxy had noticed Jack was not among them. She looked around, finally spotting him sitting on a windowsill overlooking the ceremony. She slipped from the crowd and found her way up to where Jack hid. He sat gazing out the window, his hood pulled over his face. Roxie sighed, set her blanket down, and walked up next to Jack.

"Shouldn't you be down there with the rest of them?" Jack asked in a monotone voice, refusing to look at her.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Roxy replied. She sat down by his side. "Come on Jack, what's really bothering you?"

Jack remained silent for a moment. He just couldn't face what had happened, but he felt compelled to tell her what was on his mind. "It's my fault we lost Sandy. If I had just gotten there sooner, maybe I could've…"

Roxy could feel the pain he was in. He was blaming himself for what happened to Sandman. She wanted to put her hand on his shoulder, to offer some small comfort, but she drew it back. "Jack, you did what you could. No one could have known what Pitch was planning. Sandy wouldn't want you dwelling on this. The Guardians need you; kids all over the world need you."

"What kids?" Jack scoffed. He got up and started pacing. "I don't see why the Man in the Moon chose me to be a Guardian in the first place. I don't even know who I am. How am I supposed to help kids when no one believes in me? No one can even see me."

"Now just a minute," Roxy retorted. She stood up and walked over to his side, placing one hand on his shoulder, and turned him around to face her. "In case you forgot, Mr. Frost, _I_ can see you. In fact, I've been able to see you since I saw you that night you saved my life. So don't go telling me that no one believes in you, cause Jack, I've been believing in you since I was eight years old."

Complete disbelief etched in his face. How could he have been so stupid? Roxy had already revealed that she could see him when they were back in Jamie's room, but the fact she had just admitted seeing him all those years ago was something he never thought to hear. And here she was now, standing before him, talking with him, and even touching him. He had always wanted to be seen, but Roxy wasn't just seeing him; she really believed in him.

"I… I…" Jack gave up and sat back down, pulling his hood lower over his face.

Roxy sighed. "How about we save this discussion until after Pitch is defeated. Something tells me it's gonna take a while for everything to be said. Deal?" She held out her hand.

Jack turned and stared at her outstretched hand for a moment, and then took it in his grasp. Her hand was slightly smaller than his own, not to mention it was also a lot warmer. For Roxy, it amazed her how cold his touch was. Her hand even started to frost a bit. Sure she knew that whatever he touched would turn into frost and ice, yet her hand felt comfortable in his grasp. She remembered when he carried her home that one winter's night; she felt so safe and protected. She wanted to let Jack know what that meant to her.

As Jack was about to pull away, Roxy took a risk and stepped forward. Jack's eyes widened in surprise and his icy breath caught in his throat. His heart began to beat faster. Roxana's lips were warm on his chilled skin as they pressed against his cheek. It was a chaste kiss, one of friendship and trust, yet it lingered slightly. When she pulled back, Roxy was smiling warmly at him.

He was about to say something but she wouldn't give him the chance. She took one more glance at him before heading off to find Bonnie. Jack stared after her, his hand pressed to his cheek where it remained warm from her kiss. He already had so much on his mind, but in talking to Roxy, some of the burden had been lessened, while another factor had been added. He sat back against the window, too many thoughts clouding his mind as they returned to the loss of Sandman.

North watched as Roxy came down from the window. He walked up the steps and found Jack. He had just touched the glass, creating an image of Sandy out of his frost. North knew he was blaming himself for what happened, and wished there was something he could do.

"Are you alright?" North asked.

Jack sighed. "I just uh… I wish I coulda done something…"

"Done something? Jack, you stood up to Pitch." He sat down in front of the dejected immortal, trying his best to raise his spirits. "You saved us."

"But Sandy–"

"Would be proud," North interrupted, "of what you did." For a moment Jack looked at him with hopeful eyes. He quickly brushed that away. Removing his hood, Jack began to walk away.

North got up and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I don't know who you were in your past life, but in this life you are Guardian" He looked right into Jack's eyes.

Jack still wasn't convinced. "How can I know who I _am_, until I find out who I _was_?"

"You will. I feel it." North used both hands to pat his stomach. "In my belly."

Jack was still unsure but he trusted North's advice. The two headed back down to find everyone gathering around the globe. It was not a pretty sight. More lights were being extinguished as Pitch's fear took control of more children. Without the Sandman, dreams were not being made, allowing fear to rule the hearts and minds of the children

"Look how fast they're going out," Tooth stated, the worry clear in her voice.

"It's fear," Jack stated. He rose up to hover over the globe where it was its darkest. "He's tipped the balance."

"Hey, buck up, ya sad sacks," Bunnymund encouraged. "We can still turn this around. Easter is tomorrow, and I need your help." Jack, Tooth and North gathered together, becoming encouraged by the Easter Bunny's words. "I say, we pull out all the stops, and we get those little lights flickerin' again!"

Impacted by Bunny's words, the others quickly gathered themselves to head to Bunny's warren. Not wanting to be left out, Roxy and Bonnie followed after them.

"Bunny is right," North said, leading everyone to the main toyshop. "As much as it pains me to say, old friend, this time Easter _is_…more important than Christmas."

Bunnymund's mouth dropped. "Hey! Did everyone 'ear that?" he asked as some of the Yetis gathered around, Bonnie's new friend Rota being one of them.

"We must hurry to the warren," North stated. "Everyone, to the sleigh!"

Bunnymund quickly got in front of North, causing him to halt. "Oh no, mate," Bunnymund said, making everyone look at him. "My warren, my rules. Buckle up."

He tapped his foot and opened a tunnel.

"_Shostakovich_," North whispered as he and everyone was plunged into a tunnel, barreling them down into the warren.

"Not again!" Bonnie cried as they plummeted through the tunnel. She clung to Rota the entire way. Meanwhile everyone - save for Bunny - was tumbling down the rabbit hole until they came out in their intended destination.

Bunnymund landed without a problem, and Tooth fluttered above, but the rest of them got jostled around in a rough landing. Rota caught Bonnie before she could hit the ground. Giving the Yeti a smile, she looked around the warren. Her eyes widened at the sight of the green rolling hills, lush moss growing from cavern like walls and ruins of an ancient civilization.

Roxy was about to get up when a hand was held out for her. She looked up to see Jack smiling and waiting for her to take it. She smiled and allowed Jack to help her to her feet. However, he pulled a little too hard and she ended up falling against his chest. There was an awkward pause - their faces an inch apart - before both pulled back, light blushes on each of their faces. Roxy caught Bonnie's eye. Bonnie cocked an eyebrow, giving her a suggestive look.

Roxy walked towards her and hissed, "Not. A. Word."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Bonnie replied with a slightly twisted smile.

"Ha, ha. Buckle up. Is very funny," North said as he got to his feet. He recalled the irony of using that same expression before.

Bunnymund snickered and hopped a ways forward. "Welcome to the warren." Behind him two large, eight-foot tall sentinel eggs flanked his sides. The warren was absolutely beautiful, the very heart of spring. The grass was a rich shade of green and flowers of every size and color bloomed in every direction.

Suddenly, Bunnymund's large ears pointed and pricked forward. His nose twitched as an unfamiliar scent caught his attention. "Something's up."

Everyone stared as a stream of white eggs with little legs came pouring from an overhang. They were moving fast, almost as is something was chasing them. Each of the Guardians prepared themselves, Jack gently putting Roxy behind him while Rota blocked Bonnie. Bunnymund ushered them behind him before starting a war cry. Everyone else joined in, rushing towards the overhang before Bunnymund came to a halt, causing everyone to collide.

Standing there, holding three squirming eggs in her arms, was a little girl. Everyone just stared down at the girl before Jack recognized her mint green pajamas and fairy wings.

"Sophie?"

Everyone quickly sheathed their weapons and put on a big smile, so not to frighten the girl. Sophie was stunned for a moment, before spotting one of the elves.

"Elf, elf, elf!" She dropped her eggs and chased after the poor elf.

"What is _she _doin' here?" Bunnymund asked, clearly panicked that a two-year-old girl had breached his warren.

North began to pat his pockets before looking up in panic. "Uh, snow globe!"

"Crikey! Somebody do something!" Bunny shouted.

"Ha, don't look at me," Jack stepped back with his hands raised. "I'm invisible, remember?"

Bonnie's eyes got extremely wide. "Oh…so this is where she went…" she muttered, really hoping no one heard her. Unfortunately she was standing close enough for Roxy to hear.

The other girl turned steal eyes on her friend before asking, "You knew?!"

All the Guardians turned and all but glared at Bonnie. "Um, well I was so distracted by the fluffy plus-sized bunny that I kinda didn't really say anything…" Bonnie said softly and shyly.

Jack quickly held Roxy back as the girl tried to pounce on her friend. "HOW COULD YOU LET A TWO YEAR OLD JUST ENTER THROUGH A PORTAL AND NOT STOP HER?!"

"Easy Roxy," Jack tried his best to calm her down. "Look, Sophie's alright, so there's no harm done. Plus if she was here, then Pitch couldn't get to her." At that comment Roxy instantly relaxed into Jack's arms.

"Thanks for the save Mr. Icicle," Bonnie said softly, making Jack give her a slight glare.

Having finally caught the elf, Sophie was laughing as she dragged him by his hat. "Elf, elf, elf."

"Don't worry, Bunny." Tooth flew over to divert Sophie's attention. "I bet she's a fairy fan." She struck a pose in the air. Sophie jumped up and down, making Tooth guess accurate. "It's okay, little one."

"Pretty!"

"Oh!" Tooth cooed. "You know what, I've got something for you. Here it is!" She held out her hands and present Sophie with five of her baby teeth.

"Look at all the pretty little teeth, with little blood and gum on them!" Tooth smiled as she looked at her precious teeth. Sophie, however, was not as impressed. In fact, the very sight of the teeth caused her to run away, crying and screaming.

"Oh, come here Sophie." Roxy rushed to her sister's side and held her while she calmed down.

Jack laughed at Tooth's obvious disappointment. "Ha, ha, ha. Blood and gums?" Tooth look to North for help, but he only shrugged. Jack flew to a stone egg, and sat on the top. He looked back to the Guardians with a questionable smirk. Beneath the stone was a crevice where little eggs were huddled together. Sophie jumped out of her sister's arms, and rushed to the eggs. She crouched down, clearly thinking they were playing a game.

Jack smiled as he watched her, then he looked back at the Guardians. "When was the last time you guys actually _hung out_ with kids?"

"Peek-a-boo!" Sophie shouted. The eggs scattered and raced to Bunnymund. Sophie followed until a group of butterflies drew her attention.

"We are very busy bringing _joy_ to children," North explained. "We don't have time…for children." He then realized how ridiculous that sounded. All the Guardians did. Bonnie facepalmed while Roxy laughed at their expressions.

Jack turned a snowflake over his fingers as he pondered North's words. "If one little kid can ruin Easter then...we're in worse shape then I thought." Jack let the snowflake go, letting Sophie chase it before it hit its intended target: Bunnymund.

It landed on his nose, spreading Jack's special brand of magic over the usually grouchy rabbit. He shook his head and then, he actually smiled. He hopped over to where Sophie watched a golden flower. It opened to reveal a new little egg. It danced around, making Sophie laugh.

Bunnymund smiled and then asked, "Wanna paint some eggs? Yeah!"

Sophie laughed and jumped. "Okay!"

"Come on then." Sophie took Bunnymund's paw and followed him to where they would paint the eggs.

Suddenly thousands, millions of plain eggs began to swarm as they readied themselves for Easter. Even North was impressed after now seeing what Bunnymund was always so nervous about.

"_Whimsky korsakoff_!" North stated. "That's a lot of eggs."

"Look at their cute little feetsies!" Bonnie said, standing near North.

Jack sat openmouthed on top of his staff as the eggs continued to pass in. "Uh… How much time do we have?"

Instead of answering, Bunnymund flung Sophie on his back and raced across the warren. As he passed, he brushed against flowers that released different colored paint, dying the eggs as they marched on.

Roxy chuckled. "I think you've been ignored." Jack rolled his eyes.

Bunnymund was bouncing around the eggs. Sophie had slipped off and was chasing the eggs with Bonnie and Roxy.

"All right, troops. Its time ta push back. That means eggs EVERYWHERE! Heaps are going every high-rise, farmhouse, and trailer park; in tennis shoes and cereal bowls. Oh, there'll be bathtubs filled with my beautiful googies."

While Bunnymund went on about the eggs, everyone helped heard the eggs towards the main entrance. Along the way they were painted and one cluster even lifted and carried Sophie. The infectious laughter of the young girl spread to all the Guardians, who quickly joined in the fun. Some eggs went a different path, and came to a purple river. One elf pushed an egg in, dancing merrily until a hoard of eggs stampeded him, pushing him in as well. Once the eggs dived in they were coated with sparkling glitter to give them an extra special touch.

"Okay, that's little strange," North commented, taking one egg out of the glitter filled river.

"No mate," Bunnymund softly argued. North looked up to see his old friend surrounded by butterflies, cuddling three eggs in his palm, and two eggs perched on his left shoulder and thigh. His ears were pulled back in a relaxed state, and his green eyes were filled with awe at his little eggs. "That's adorable." Bonnie clapped her hands and jumped up and down at that.

The elf pulled himself from the river, trying his best to remove the glitter from his tongue, while it stained most of his body. Seeing the silliness of himself, he smiled and joined back in the parade. Bunnymund felt his spirits lift at the sight.

"There will be springtime, on every continent, and I'm bringing hope with me!"

The yeti's watched in fascination as some of the eggs jumped into curled vines. When they emerged, they had decorated strips swirled around their shells. Rota even got into the fun and began painting eggs too. He had already painted two stacks of eggs red Bonnie joined in with her new friend, making a separate pyramid away from his two large ones.

Bunnymund surveyed Rota's work. "Too Christmasy, mate. Pain 'em blue."

"Rota!" He threw his hands up in defeat, before falling face-first to the ground. Bonnie patted his shoulder and offered him a pint of her blue paint.

Roxy felt bad for them, but at the same time she couldn't stop laughing, especially when Bonnie started singing an altered version of "Painting The Roses Red."

Bunnymund laughed before hoping back to Sophie's side. "Oh, what's over there?" He playfully gestured to a newly painted egg. Sophie got excited. She raced over and picked up the egg, bringing it back to Bunnymund to inspect.

"Ah, that's a beauty!" he exclaimed. He took her hand. "Now, all we gotta do is get him and his little mates through the tunnels, to the top, and we'll have ourselves Easter." They walked to the edge of the hill overlooking the main tunnel entrance. Jack joined them and kneeled down with Bunny as they overlooked their work.

All the excitement had finally caught up, and soon Sophie was sound asleep. Bunnymund smiled and picked the little girl up and cradled her in his arms.

Looking out at the millions of eggs, Jack found he had a new respect for what Bunnymund did. "Not bad."

Sophie yawned as she cuddled into Bunny's furry arms. He smiled and looked up at Jack. "Not bad yourself," he complimented back.

"Ah look, I-I'm sorry about the whole…you know, the kangaroo thing."

"Its the accent, isn't it?"

Jack just laughed. Soon North, Tooth, Bonnie, and Roxy joined them. They all seemed mesmerized by the sleeping girl.

Bunny gazed down at the sleeping girl, just absorbed by how precious the tiny toddler looked. "Ah, poor little Ankle-biter. Look at her. All tuckered out."

"I love her," Tooth cooed. Even Baby Tooth coddled over her and Sophie yawned again. "I think it's time to get her home." She held out her arms and Bunnymund placed Sophie into them.

"How bout I take her home?" Jack offered.

"Jack, no!" Tooth warned. "Pitch is out there–"

"Is no match for this." He interrupted and held out his staff.

"Which is why we need you here, with us" Bunnymund insisted. Though he was slipping back into his normally grumpy, self-centered self, he had to admit that the power Frost wielded was the only thing that had actually been able to weaken Pitch's army.

Putting on a confident smile, Jack replied, "Trust me. I'll be quick as a bunny."

"I'll go with you," Roxy volunteered. "I can make sure he gets back here on time. Besides, if Sophie wakes up, she'll wake my mom and then we'll have problems."

"This good plan," North agreed. Then he turned to Bonnie and said, "You stay and help make Easter eggs."

"Squee! Okay Santa, I'll make the prettiest eggs ever! They'll all look like Butterfluff!" Bonnie replied, twirling the stuffed rabbit before skipping off, humming a happy little tune.

"Oh great," Bunnymund groaned. "I think I'd rather work with the Groundhog."

"You know you like me, just admit it," Bonnie smirked.

Both Jack and Roxy laughed as the rest of the Guardians, and Bonnie, set to work on getting everything else ready for Easter. All of them except Baby Tooth. Tooth Fairy asked her to keep an eye on Jack and make sure he came back in time to help with Easter. Then Roxy turned to Jack.

"So, how's this gonna work," she asked. "Do you need me to carry Sophie, or do you summon a portal?"

Jack chuckled. "Just grab onto my shoulders and hold on tight."

Roxy slightly blushed but she walked around behind Jack. She looped one arm around his shoulder, and the other she hooked under his other arm. She linked her finger and held on tight. Jack felt a lightly uneasy with how Roxy held onto him, but he just shook his held clear, tucked Sophie closer in his arm, and raised his staff.

"Wind, take us home." And off they flew, out of the warren and into the air.

**XXX**

**AN:** Just in case you were wondering:

_Painting the eggs all blue!  
__We're painting the eggs all blue!  
__We dare not stop  
__Or waste a drop  
__Less we upset the Roo.  
__We're painting the eggs all blue!  
__We're painting the eggs all blue!_

**Cosmic Horse:** lolz, eggs and ugly sweaters

**GodlyJewel:** Technically you wore the sweater, I took the blanket. Wouldn't catch me wearing a Christmas sweater unless there was a contest for the ugliest one. *****feels the icy glare of North and Jack Skellington***** Heh, heh. Not that there's anything wrong with wearing Christmas sweaters. *****big innocent/nervous grin*****

**Cosmic Horse:** Play nice! Also Rota is the same Yeti that slammed his head on the table after painting all the robots blue when North said red. Poor guy. But I do love the Roxy/Jack fluff ya got in there GodlyJewel.

**GodlyJewel:** Awe, thanks. Never knew I could write fluff like this. Hope you readers enjoy it too. Little heads up: As far as the pairings go, mine are more fluff, where Cosmic's…well she has more of a… What did you call it?

**Cosmic Horse:** Well, I said that you're the Fluff Queen and I'm the Steamy Princess. *****wink wink, nudge nudge*****

**GodlyJewel:** Okay… Also, if you watch that Yeti Cosmic mention, I'm pretty sure when he says "rota" he means red, since both times he says it deals with the color red. Anyway, lets get to the next chapter before the train of thought gets off track…again.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Breaking Bonds and Promises**

The night air was crisp and cool as the little town of Burgess slept below, though many either suffered from nightmares, or slumbered in a dreamless sleep. Above Jack Frost could was soaring on the wind as he carried the two girls home. One in his arms and one on his back. As Sophie slumbered on, little Baby Tooth curled in her arms to make sure she slept the whole way. Meanwhile, Roxy was in awe of the scenery around her as she clung to Jack. She had always dreamed of flying through the night sky under full moonlight, and here she was, soaring with Jack Frost.

Jack looked over to see Roxy smiling and eyeing the view around her. He smiled. She looked like a little girl opening a gift on Christmas morning. Suddenly he was looking into her deep brown eyes. His breath caught in his throat. With her holding on to his back, the moon illuminated around her like a halo, giving her an angelic look. Her skin glowed in the moonlight, and her hair looked as if it had turned to starlight. But it was her eyes that caught Jack's attention. Her deep eyes were shining bright as the looked down at him, complimenting her bright smile. Jack smiled back then quickly turned back to search for the Bennett house.

_What is wrong with me?_ he thought. _I've known her since she was a kid, but, then again, I've never been able to get this close to her. Plus, I never knew she could see me. And she really does look like a snow fairy with the moonlight… Ahh! Stop that!_ He shook his head and was glad because they finally arrived at the Bennett house.

Spotting Sophie's bedroom window, Jack dropped down and entered the tiny window. He stood so Roxy could get down before placing Sophie in her bed. Well, try to anyway. The tiny girl had a death grip around Jack's neck, making it impossible for him to detach her. Roxy tried her best not to laugh too loud during the struggle. When he finally got her off, Sophie roll over and fell to the floor with a loud 'thunk.' Jack winced and looked at Baby Tooth before turning back to Sophie. A sigh of relief came from all three as Sophie continued to sleep. Just as Jack was about to put her back in bed, they heard someone coming down the hall.

"Sophie? Is that you?" It was Mrs. Bennett.

Panicking, Jack threw a blanket over Sophie and, tossing her a toy, dashed out the window. Roxy shook her head and went to her sister's side. She had just picked her up when Mrs. Bennett opened the door.

"Roxy? What are you doing in your sister's room?" she asked.

"Oh! Sophie woke me up a while ago because she couldn't sleep, so I read her a bedtime story. I guess I fell asleep when I heard a thunk," she lied. She looked down as Sophie continued to sleep. "Poor kid. Must have rolled over in her sleep. I'll just put her back in bed."

"Alright," she said, too tired to think over her daughter's words. "Goodnight, Roxana."

"Night, Mom," Roxy called back. When she was sure her mother was in her room, she sighed in relief and placed Sophie in her bed. She tucked the covers snuggly around her sleeping sister and brushed a few stray hairs from her face.

"Sleep tight, sis," she whispered, placing a small kiss to Sophie's forehead. Turning back to the window, Roxy leaned out and looked around for Jack. "Jack, where are you?"

Suddenly Baby Tooth flew into view and began buzzing and chirping at Roxy. "Where's Jack?" The little fairy pointing out into the direction of the street. At first, she didn't see him but then she saw Jack flying off toward the woods. _Where's he going?_

"Come on, Baby Tooth. We have to follow him." Quickly Roxy rushed out the door and over to the her room. She searched her closet and grabbed her AERIO Q-80 inline rollerblades, and then a pair of blue socks from her dresser. She pulled on the socks and raced down to the front door. Once she was outside, Roxy strapped the skates onto her feet. With Baby Tooth leading the way, Roxy sped off to the woods. She carefully sped through the trees after the tiny fairy until they finally spotted Jack. He was starring at the middle of a clearing in front of a large hole in the ground. Over the hole was an old wooden bed frame. He took a step toward it.

Baby Tooth tugged on his hood, trying to make him tune around. He brushed her off. "Don't worry. Th-There's still time." Baby Tooth just rolled her eyes, but continued to follow him.

Even Roxy was a little annoyed by this. They didn't have time for side trips. Jack was needed back at the warren and instead he wanted to explore a large hole. Roxy rolled up to his side and touched his shoulder. "Jack?"

Before she could say another word, Jack used his staff to smash through the wood and make an opening. Then a voice — that of a young girl — called up through the opening,

_"Jack!"_

Without a second thought, Jack dove into the hole. Roxy blinked in surprise and for a moment all she could do was stare at where he'd disappeared. The hole was dark and deep, but what was unusual about it was the fact it was under an old, decaying bed frame.

Suddenly it clicked in Roxy's mind, and she looked to Baby Tooth. "He's going after Pitch. We have to stop him."

The little fairy chirped her protest that it was too dangerous for the human girl, but Roxy just dove in after Jack. Not wanting her friends to get themselves into even more trouble, Baby Tooth dove after them.

They all came out in an underground tunnel. It was similar to Bunnymund's tunnels, only darker with stalactites and stalagmites scattered throughout the tunnel. Roxy followed Jack's lead, while Baby Tooth frantically tried to warn them they should go back. She flittered and fluttered about Jack's head, but Jack just batted her away with his hand.

"Baby Tooth, Baby Tooth! Come on!" he protested against her pleading chirps. "I have to find out what that is."

"Uh, guys. You might want to take a look at this." Roxy pointed ahead and they stared at the sight before them. The huge cavern was at an angle and one wrong step would send one tumbling down into what appeared to be an abyss. There was a disarray of bridges and stairways everywhere. Above them hung multiple cages where Pitch had imprisoned Tooth's mini fairies. As soon as the fairies spotted them, they began buzzing and chirping. Jack flew to one of the cages, Roxy doing her best to follow on foot.

"Shh, keep it down!" he whispered. "I'm gonna get you out of here, just as soon as I–"

_"Jack! Jack!"_

It was that girl's voice again. Jack slowly turned to look for the source of the voice. Jack looked down and saw the mounds of millions of Teeth Boxes. The voice continued to call him, diverting his attention from the fairies. "… I can…"

Roxy found a bridge close to the cage Jack was perched on. She watched as Jack jumped down to the pile below and frantically search for his Teeth Box.

"Jack, are you crazy?" Roxy whispered harshly. "This isn't the time! We need to leave, now!" Even Baby Tooth chirped her disproval. But Jack ignored them and continued his search.

"Looking for something?"

All three froze at the sound of Pitch's voice reached them. His shadow rose on the opposite wall. Jack turned a blind furry and shot an icy blast at the dark form. He missed and the shadow fled, laughing as Jack chased it. His control over frigid winds allowed him to keep pace, but soon he was cornered.

"Don't be afraid, Jack. I'm not gonna hurt _you_."

Jack looked around, finally spotting the real Pitch, casually walking along one of the bridges. He leaped and landed just behind the Boogieman.

"Afraid?" he scoffed. "I'm not afraid of you." He stalked up behind his enemy, holding his staff in case Pitch tried anything.

Pitch never even turned around. He just continued walking, and spoke in a casual tone. "Maybe not… But you are afraid of something."

"You think so, huh?"

Pitch laughed. "I _know_ so! It's the one thing I always know. People's greatest fears." He turned and looked at Jack with a knowing smile that reflected in his silver-golden eyes. "Yours is that no one will ever believe in you."

Jack gasped. The hesitation made Pitch chuckle, and allowed him to pull Jack into a black hole. He fell through the darkness before landing facedown in the dirt. Jack picked himself up and ran through the tunnels as Pitch continued to mock him.

"And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know _why_. Why you? _Why_ were you chosen…to be like this?" He finally caught up as Jack trapped himself at a dead end. Jack faced him, breathless and trembling. The sight made Pitch smirk as he took something from his inner robe.

"Well, fear not. For the answer to that, it right here." He held out a Teeth Box, with Jack's picture on it. It was different because the picture displayed Jack with brown hair and brown eyes, but nevertheless, it was Jack's face on that golden box.

"Do you want them, Jack? Your memories?" Pitch put on a pleasant smile as he offered Jack what he desired most.

This was it, his chance to finally know why he was Jack Frost. He reached for the box. But Pitch had been correct. He was afraid of the truth, and it made him hesitate. He pulled back his hand. Pitch only laughed and vanished with the box. Jack shook himself back to reality and followed after him. He was brought back to the cages, scanning the walls for any sign of Pitch. It didn't take long before Pitch's shadow swept over the walls.

"Everything you wanted to know in this little box." He laughed as Jack feebly tried to grasp it, but his game of keep-away was not yet done. He continued to move further away and taunt Jack, until he had him cornered at his globe.

"Why did you end up like this? Unseen, unable to reach out to anyone? You want the answers so badly! You want to grab them and fly off with them, but you're afraid of what the Guardians will think. You're afraid of disappointing them. Well let me ease your mind about one thing: They'll _never_ accept you! Not really–"

"Stop it! STOP IT!" Jack shouted and covered his ears.

"After all," drawing Jack's back attention, "you're not one of them."

"You don't _know_ what I am!" Jack threatened and aimed his staff. Pitch only laughed as he appeared from the shadows. This game was just about over.

"Off course I do. You're Jack Frost! You make a mess wherever you go. Why, you're doing it right now." Pitch tossed Jack his Teeth Box.

He caught the box. Then it hit him. Why would Pitch suddenly give this to him, unless… "What did you do?"

"More to the point, Jack, what did _you_ do?" He laughed one last time as he faded back into the shadows. The last thing Jack saw was Pitch's eyes glow back at him with a sinister white smile. Jack charged and raised his staff to strike Pitch, but he only hit air and stumbled forward. He looked around and saw Pitch had fled again. With renewed determination, Jack retreated back down the tunnel to confront Pitch once more. However, the tunnel had been closed.

Jack pounded his fist against the door, but it was no use; the opening to the lair was sealed. He let out a frustrated grunt and cursed himself for being so selfish. Realization struck him and his heart all but stopped.

"Baby Tooth! Roxy!"

Roxy and Baby Tooth were still inside. Jack knew if he was going to get them back, he'd need the other Guardians. The other Guardians… Easter!

"Happy Easter, Jack." That was the last thing Pitch said, and Jack knew he was alone.

Jack turned and saw he was back in Bunnymund's warren tunnels. But the sight he encountered was not cheery. The tunnel floor was littered with broken eggshells, and a fallen stone egg warrior.

"No…" He was too late.

**XXX**

Pitch let out an evil chuckle. He had just tricked Jack into leaving the Tooth Fairy's only little fairy and Bonnie's friend in his lair. He would deal with them later. He blinked his eyes, looking through the eyes of his head Nightmare, Shadow. An evil smile crossed his face as he watched the Nightmares lay siege to the Easter eggs. They stomped with precision, cracking shells and killing the eggs. _There will be no Easter this year_, Pitch thought with an evil chuckle. He gazed over at the Guardians feebly fighting off his dark herd and noticed a tan Yeti guarding something fiercely. It was Bonnie. Pitch's breath caught in his throat. He shook his head, making Shadow shake her head. No time for caring. Pitch turned his head to see another Nightmare about to stomp a familiar egg.

"Stop!" he shouted, shouting through Shadow.

The Nightmare moved back, leaving a cowering egg. Pitch gazed down at the egg up and gasped at the sight of an egg version of Butterfluff. _She's painting eggs_, Pitch thought before stomping Shadow's hoof. He contacted all his Nightmares and shouted at them, "Listen to me! None of you will harm this egg."

He looked back down at the egg and Shadow shorted, "Go back to the Warren little Butterfluff" The egg turned and ran back the Warren as fast as his little egg legs could move.

With a little nod, the Nightmares sent back to destroying Easter. His mount, Shadow, shook her head, questioning him. "For her and her alone," Pitch snapped, jerking the mare's head and spurring her to join in the destruction, yet careful to avoid the numerous Butterfluff eggs.

**XXX**

Bonnie's eyes began to tear up at the shattered shells scattered about the lush green grass of the Warren. Pitch's Nightmare army had swarmed over the eggs, smashing and crushing them…as well as Easter. She had looked around Rota for a brief glance of Pitch, but he either saw her or wasn't there. Santa had instructed the large Yeti to guard Bonnie, which Rota did devoutly. No Nightmare touched her. She walked out into the carnage and her legs suddenly gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

"Why did he do this?" she asked, touching a bright pink shell.

"Because he's a bad guy Bonnie," Tooth said, coming to kneel next to the girl.

She slammed the ground with her fist. "He's not a bad guy!" she shouted, bolting up. "He's just misunderstood. None of you know what he's gone through, do you? None of you know what it's like to be believed in only to lose that belief. None of you do!"

Then, there was a little bump on her leg. Bonnie looked down and saw a cowering egg painted like Butterfluff.

"H-how?" Tooth asked, staring at the egg.

Bonnie picked the egg up. "Because I painted it," Bonnie replied.

Bunnymund had rushed off to make a few more eggs and came bounding back. "Come on, there's no time ta lose," he said.

Bonnie held the egg out. "Here," she said, putting the egg into his basket. "If it helps any."

Bunnymund nodded his thanks and everyone rushed out of the Warren. Bonnie looked over to Tooth and said, "Sorry for snapping at you."

Tooth smiled. "It's fine. I probably would have done the same thing if someone called the guy I loved a bad guy." She laughed at Bonnie's flushed face.

"Wh-what?!" Bonnie asked, holding Butterfluff a little tighter. "I-I d-don't lo–"

"Easy girl," Tooth said with a smile. "Breath. And of course you do. That's why Bunny is so mad about it. He thinks Pitch brainwashed you into loving him. I can see that that isn't the case. You just do."

Bonnie flushed a deeper color and didn't say anything. _Do I really love Pitch?_ she questioned. _I mean, he's been my friend for ages but _love_ him? _… She shrugged. _Maybe I do…_

**XXX**

Bunnymund watched from a distance as the children searched for eggs. But thanks to Pitch's Nightmares, none made it to the surface. all the children were disappointed.

"There aren't any eggs."

"There's nothing here."

"I give up."

"Come on, let's go."

"I don't understand!"

"Maybe he just hid them really well this year," one girl said.

Bunny looked over a few eggs in his basket and raced over to a boy and a girl. "Kids, oie!"

"I checked everywhere. There's nothing."

"Yes there is! There is!" Bunny protested. He held up one of the eggs. "I mean, these aren't my best lookin' googies, but they'll do in a pinch."

"I can't believe it," the girl cried.

"I-I know–" Bunny tried to laugh but the girl cut him off.

"There's no such thing as the Easter Bunny."

"What?" The girl hadn't seen him, even though he was standing right in front of her. "No!"

"Easter is over." The kids all started to leave.

Panicked, Bunny tried to stop them. "Wrong! Not-Not true! I'm-I'm right in front of you, mate." He held out an egg to one boy but was shocked when the boy passed right through him. He gasped in fear.

"They don't see me!" he whispered. "They don't see me…" The realization was too much, and he crumpled to the ground. Bonnie rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"I do," she said, stroking his ears.

A cold wind blew and Jack appeared. He was horrified to see Bunnymund in his state.

"Jack!" He turned to face North. "Where were you? The Nightmares attacked the tunnels, they smashed every egg; smashed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface!"

Bonnie looked up from where she was consoling Bunnymund. "Pitch's Nightmares came and destroyed everything, Jack. They tried to fight them off, but…but it wasn't enough…"

"Jack!" Tooth flew to his side. She had also wondered where he had gone after promising to return from dropping off Sophie. She gasped when she saw Jack's Teeth Box in his right hand. "Where did you get that?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Jack looked down at his hand, trying to find the right words. "I was–"

"Where's Baby Tooth?" Tooth cut him off, too concerned for her last fairy.

Bonnie left Bunnymund to stand by the tooth Fairy. "And where's Roxy?" she demanded

It was Tooth who figured out the answer. "Oh Jack! What have you done?"

"That is why you weren't here?" North asked, the anger rising in his voice. "You were with Pitch?!"

"You mean to say that you were playing hide and seek while Easter was ruined?" Bonnie snapped at him.

"No, listen-listen," he tried to explain. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen."

"He has ta go!" Everyone turned. Bunnymund had gotten to his feet. His eyes were hard on Jack and his voice was even, though lined with unimaginable rage.

"What?"

Jack's single word made Bunnymund explode. "**We should NEVER have trusted you!**" He want so badly to punch Jack, but he drew back. He needed the irresponsible brat to understand. "Easter is...new beginnings, new life; Easter's about hope! And now it's gone…" He sighed and walked away.

It was Bonnie who decided to say something next.

"If you had been there, maybe Easter wouldn't be ruined and maybe kids could still see Mr. Easter Bunny. Maybe Roxy and Baby Tooth wouldn't be hostages of Pitch if you had come right back with them like you said you would! Roxy practically worships you Jack, how could you let her down?" Bonnie asked, shouting a few times but in his face the entire time. She took a deep breath, her eyes welling with tears. "I don't normally get mad Jack, I don't. Usually I forgive very easily. But not when it comes to Roxy or the safety of children, or even Pitch. Look at Mr. Easter Bunny, Jack, and tell him you tried. I can't even look at you without having to restrain myself from punching your head in."

Bonnie turned sharp and stomped over to a park bench, fuming with anger.

Jack turned to North and Tooth for help, but even they couldn't look at him. Reaching inside his pocket, Jack drew out the wooden baby-nesting doll North had given him. he threw the doll to the ground before taking off. He just wanted to get far away from everyone he had failed.

_Pitch was right_, he thought, _I can't do anything right._

**XXX**

**AN: …**

**Cosmic Horse:** … Well, since Roxy is out of the story for a moment, looks like I'm the only on here in the Author's Note… *****cricket***** Wow, tough crowd… HEY you know what I noticed during the movie? Pitch's messed up eyes. One moment they are amber, the next: silver. What is up with that dude!? Just pick a color and keep it! It would make my life a zillion times easier but NOOOOOOOOO…uragh… My life at the moment… Well… back to the story I guess…

**Pitch:** They're actually silvery-gold.

**Cosmic Horse:** *****glare*** **… Just leave before I smash with hammer!

**Pitch:** *****run away*****


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Dark Secrets**

Faster and faster she tore through the tunnels, but no matter which way they went they always ended back in the main hall.

"Arg, this is getting us nowhere," Roxy shouted in frustration. She sat down at the foot of the mountain of Teeth Boxes, racking her brain for an idea. Baby Tooth began to whimper beside her. The dark shadows and confinement of the underground cave were no place for a free spirited fairy. Hearing the small cries, Roxy's features softened and gathered the little fairy into her hands.

"It's okay, Baby Tooth," she tried to assure the frightened mini fairy. "I'm sure Jack and the others are on their way to find us. But we need to figure out how to get out of here, just in case."

Roxy looked about the room, trying to come up with a plan. The cages were too high for someone without wings to reach, and there was no key, so freeing the mini fairies was out. She had tried searching the tunnels for a way out, but that had proved useless. This place was like an enchanted labyrinth. No matter which way she went it brought her back to the same spot. And if she tried going back, the tunnels would change and bring her back to this room. Roxy sighed and set Baby Tooth on her shoulder, resting her chin on one hand and drummed her fingers on her knee with the other.

Baby Tooth looked up at Roxy. She worried what would happen when Pitch found them, but she was more concerned about what would happen to Roxy. She would most likely be imprisoned along with her friends, but Roxy was human. There was no telling what Pitch would do. As the mini fairy looked around her tiny eyes fell on something that she hadn't noticed before. Baby Tooth got very excited and began tugging on Roxy's hair to get her attention. Roxy swatted her away.

"Not now, Baby Tooth, I'm thinking," Roxy scolded. Baby Tooth rolled her eyes and flew into Roxy's line of vision. "Hey! What? What!"

Baby Tooth flew over to a far-off wall, circling a specific portion of the wall. Not sure what she was supposed to be looking at, Roxy got up and skated over to where Baby Tooth was hovering. Scanning the wall, Roxy had to squint before she could see what the fairy was pointing to. There, blending in with a rocky terrain was a door — a blind door to be specific.

"You sure this is a good idea?" she asked. Baby Tooth only shrugged her shoulders. "Okay…" Roxy approached the door and started to search for a way to open it. The design had no trim or any sign of an opening. She pressed her hands against the hard stone, searching for any sign of a way in. Finally her hand met a hidden notch. _This must be it_, she thought.

Roxy tentatively put her hand on the handle. Taking a deep breath she jiggled it to see if it was locked. The lock clicked and the door creaked open as if it hadn't been opened in a long time. Roxy gently pushed the door open a crack and discovered a dark room. Opening the door completely let in enough light for Roxy to see. The room itself was bare, save for a small pedestal. It was made of a dark, almost black oak wood and carved to look like living smoke. Resting on top was a satin pillow made of dark red silk. In the center of the pillow sat a wooden box, carved from the same wood as the pedestal. Only instead of smoke, the carvings were of all the constellations with gold inlays. Roxy felt almost drawn to the box and before she had known she had done it, she was standing before the it; hands hovering over the lid, waiting to open it.

_Okay, this is ridiculous,_ she thought. _I'm not Pandora for Pete's sake. Yet here I am, with a box, and I just want to see what's inside._ Roxy struggled with the desire to open the box. She finally got frustrated, pressing her hands to her temples and grit her teeth. She looked over to see Baby Tooth staring at her with a concerned expression. She dropped her hands to her side in defeat.

"Well, open or keep it shut?" Roxy asked Baby Tooth. Baby Tooth looked about as unsure as Roxy felt. Neither of them had any idea what could lie inside that box. Still, Roxy didn't get the feeling that they were walking into a trap. But something about this box told her that whatever lay inside was important. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the lid. The surface was smooth, like it had just been polished. She tried lifting the lid but it remained shut. It was locked.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," she huffed. "There must be a key around here somewhere…" She started to search the room but the only thing in it was the box. Lifting the object into the air, Roxy discovered that there wasn't even a keyhole. Bringing it to her ear, Roxy shook the box. Not a sound.

"There's just got to be a way to open this thing."

As she examined the box, she noticed that the Libra constellation seemed to stand out among the others. The scales were supposed to be evenly balanced, but this constellation's scales were tipped. Roxy pressed her fingers over the constellation and found that the lower scale pressed down. Pressing her fingers more firmly, she heard a 'click' before a section popped out on the side of the box. Startled by the discovery, Roxy turned to look at Baby Tooth before peering inside the secret compartment. And what she found had to have been the most beautiful object she'd ever seen.

Inside was a silver chain attached to a locket. The locket itself was also silver, and oval shaped with intricate swirls designed on the front. Roxy gently took the chain in her fingers and lifted the treasured jewelry out of the box. She set the box back on the pedestal and fingered the pendant. It was obviously very precious and had to be very old, but it was well taken care of. Whoever this belonged to obviously treasured it very much. Unable to resist, Roxy opened the clasp. Her eyes widened and she almost stopped breathing.

It looked as if the picture had once been torn to shreds, and then put back together, making it almost impossible to make out. But from what Roxy could make out, the portrait was of a young girl, most likely younger than herself. The girl had pale skin and long raven-black hair. Her haunting eyes twinkled like stars, framed by long eyelashes. She wore a gown with a tall collar and a pendent fastened at the base of the girl's neck.

"Who is this?" Roxy said mostly to herself. "And why would Pitch have it?"

Baby Tooth took a closer look at the locket. Suddenly she began chirping and buzzing around, desperately trying to get Roxy to return the locket and leave the room. Unfortunately, Roxy did not share the telepathy the mini fairies had with the Tooth Fairy. While Roxy continued to stare at the locket, neither she nor Baby Tooth sensed the sinister presence that had discovered them in the darkened room.

"**WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"**

Roxy and Baby Tooth jumped from the voice that echoed off the walls. Roxy almost dropped the locket, but managed to keep it from falling to the ground. She turned and saw Pitch in an absolutely furious rage. His eyes had even shifted from their cold silvery-gold color to a vivid dark amber. Roxy tried to hide Baby Tooth behind her back as a means to protect her, but it was pointless.

Before he could say another word, Roxy bolted for the door, skating faster than she ever had in her entire life. She managed to slip past Pitch and raced down the nearest tunnel entrance. She didn't care that Pitch was most likely jump out from the shadows and trap her, or perhaps send his Nightmares in after her. All that mattered to Roxy was keeping Pitch away from Baby Tooth.

Just as she was coming around the bend, Roxy had to brake fast. In front of her was an army of Nightmares. Their head's were lowered and their teeth were bared. Their nostrils were flared as they stepped lightly forward, seeming to balance on the very tips of their hooves. Baby Tooth clung to Roxy's shoulder, cowering back from the beastly creatures. Roxy slowly backed up, every intention of speeding back down the tunnel, but as she turned around another wave of Nightmares cut off her path. She had no choice but to surrender. She held up her hands and allowed the Nightmares to lead her back to Pitch. She was led to the middle of a large, open chamber, where Pitch stood in the center, Nightmares encircling them. There was no escape.

Pitch looked down at Roxy, his face like stone. "You are Bonnie's friend, are you not?" he asked, his voice harsh and demanding.

"Yeah," Roxy sneered. "And you're the pompous Shadow King she raves about. Personally, you seem more arrogant in person, but I guess that's just the inflated ego talking, right?"

Pitch winced at Roxy's words but a faint smile touched the corners of his lips. Bonnie still talked about him. He wiped his face of emotion and let an evil grin onto his face. "Aren't you a spunky one," he sneered back, patting her head. "Now, I will only ask once for my trinket you have. Give it back."

Looking down Roxy saw she still clutched the locket in her hand. She tossed it in the air and caught it. "Why? Afraid I'll tell Bonnie you're two-timing her?"

Pitch narrowed his eyes. "Two-timing her? Is that what you think the girl in the locket is to me? Someone to fool around with while Bonnie "raves" about me?" he asked, his voice like poison. "I will tell you now, girl, you have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oooh, sounds like I hit a nerve. Maybe two."

Pitch drew back before snapping his fingers. Three Nightmares rushed Roxy, phasing through her while one of them grabbed the locket from her hands. The Nightmare brought the locket to Pitch who took it carefully. A look of relief and remorse crossed his face as he opened the locket. The Nightmares moved back into formation.

"Safe again, my dear," Pitch whispered, slowly closing the locket.

Roxy collapsed to her knees, bracing herself on her hands. When the Nightmares had passed through her an explosion of pure terror had coursed throughout her body. She was gasping for air. Roxy looked up to see Pitch caressing the precious locket. As she watched him, she slowly started to piece together the facts: the box opening on the Libra constellation, which represented scales and associates with Virgo, the virgin goddess of justice. Then there was the locket with the picture of a girl…of a girl who looked like…

Rising slowly to her knees, she looked at Pitch with a sudden realization. "She was your daughter…" Roxy just barley whispered, still in shock of the epiphany she unfolded. _Wait till I tell Bonnie!_

Pitch glared at Roxy. "Feel like a fool now?" he asked, pocketing the locket. "You of all people should know that no one could cheat on Bonnie. She is too perfect…too beautiful to have that happen too her. I may be the Nightmare King, but Bonnie is sacred to me." He ranted without even realizing what he was saying.

Roxy started to get angry. "_I'm_ the fool? You're the one who's trying to destroy all that's precious in the world just because people aren't afraid you anymore. And yet you stand here going on about caring about one person when in reality your plan will destroy her. _How dare you!_ Look Pitch, not sure what happened between you and the Guardians in the past, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with your daughter, but if you think for one-second that what you plan will bring you closer to your happiness, then you're wrong, **dead wrong!**"

Pitch snapped. With a wave of his hand, Roxy was shot backwards and chained to the far wall. A Nightmare came up and ate Baby Tooth as she tried to free her friend. The little fairy screeched while fluttering about the ribs of the Nightmare. Nodding to the mare, Pitch slowly approached Roxy.

"Baby Tooth!" Roxy turned and gnashed her teeth. "Let her go!"

"Just because you are Bonnie's friend won't spare you from this. However, I can tell you that it will end…But not before you scream," Pitch said, placing a hand covered in black sand before Roxy's face. With a slight blow, a flurry of black sand swirled around Roxy's head before entering her nose and mouth.

"Now the nightmare begins," Pitch said with smirk.

Roxy's body twisted and contorted as one by one her mind was filled with a child's worst fears: darkness, spiders, lightning and thunder, ghosts; creaking floorboards and rattling chains, and a screaming one would hear in the dead of night. All past before her mind's eye but something happened that Pitch had not anticipated. The corrupted dream sand began to pour from her mouth and retreated back into him. He started down in frustration before looking back at his prisoner. As she lifted her head to meet his glowing orbs, Pitch was met with Roxy's smirk.

"Spiders and monsters?" Roxy asked sarcastically. "Nice try, but the gross and bizarre haven't scared me since I was two."

Pitch eye's widened before he turned up the scare factor. He fashioned himself a large scythe.

Roxy just laughed. "And now you're ripping off the Grim Reaper. Real original. Give it up Pitch, I'm seventeen. Nothing scares me."

"Nothing you say?" Pitch asked, pocketing the scythe for later. "Nothing at all? Well, I will admit I was going easy on you since you are Bonnie's friend, but you've brought this upon yourself."

Roxy watched as the black dreamsand flowed from his fingertips and hovered above her head. "So what, you gonna give me more nightmares?" Roxy scoffed. "In case you forgot, that doesn't work."

Pitch chuckled, causing Roxy's skin to crawl as an icy chill ran up her spine. "Did you also know that I can peer inside your mind and make your worst nightmare into a reality? I don't do it often because it takes so much of my power, but in this case, I'll make an exception."

The black sand began to grow, coming closer toward Roxy's face. She struggled against her bonds, but they only wrapped tighter around her body.

"Y-You won't get away with this! The Guardians will stop you!"

"Now how do you expect them to save you when they'll no longer exist. Already children have begun to forget all about your precious Guardians. Without Sandman around, my Nightmares are free to enter the children's minds, spreading fear. And by ruining Easter, and eventually Christmas, children will stop believing in the stories their parents tell them. Soon my fear will spread and children will believe in me again."

Now Roxy was beginning to panic. She had to get free somehow and warn her friends. But as he got closer it was clear no one was coming to her rescue. Pitch was an inch from her face, a cold smile on his thin black lips. The black sand began to prick her skin.

"Now, lets see what scares you the most."

The pain was more unbearable than anything Roxy could have imagined. It felt as if burning knives were slowly digging into her skin, carving their way through her skull. Flashes of things that frightened her past before Roxy's eyes as Pitch dug deeper, searching for one thing even Roxy herself had not been able to overcome. It was the one thing she had never told anyone, not even Bonnie. She fought will all her might to resist Pitch's power, but the pain was becoming too much. She looked up through half-lidded eyes at her tormenter. Pitch glared down at her with golden eyes that held nothing but pleasure from the fear he inflicted on her.

Finally, the white-hot flames of the pain had reached their peak and Roxy let out a bloodcurdling scream that filled the whole chamber. The mini fairies shrunk back while the Nightmares whinnied in delight.

"So…this is what frightens you." His voice was low and whispered like velvet, but it dripped with venom. "Oh this is grand, isn't? Simply grand!" The Nightmares whinnied louder in agreement. It was the last thing she heard before the full pain washed over her, numbing her entire body as the fear coursed through her body. Then she blacked out.

**XXX**

**Cosmic Horse:** Why Pitch? Why must you be so bad?!

**GodlyJewel:** For those who don't know, Pitch's daughter is an actual character in the original _The Guardians of Childhood_ books, specifically _Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King_. I finally got to read the first three books, but now I want to know more about her. Also I have now become a sympathizer for Pitch since he's a villain with a tragic past.

**Cosmic Horse:** Gotta love the tragic villain. Otherwise you're just a fat jerk… Wait, when did you get here?

**GodlyJewel:** This chapter's features my character, so the fanfiction deities allowed me to come back. *****whisper***** Actually I escaped. *****impish smile*****

**Pitch:** Hey! Get back here!

**GodlyJewel:** Bat poop! Heeeeeelllllp! *****dragged away*****

**Cosmic Horse:** Maybe I should go help her…or not… Are those mango slices?


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Ice and Shadow**

_Antarctica…_

Far off in the farthest, coldest reaches of the world Jack struggled with his emotions. He was angry with himself for letting Pitch trick him. If only he had been with the Guardians like they told him, he could have stopped Pitch from destroying Easter. Instead he went after Pitch to retrieve his Teeth Box. The sight of the box made Jack angry. It grasped the back and ran to throw it into the frozen wasteland. Yet he could not compelled himself to do it. Part if him still yearned to know about his past. He wanted to know to whom the voice belonged.

"I though this might happen." Jack gasped. Of all the people in the world, Pitch was the last person Jack wanted to see. "They never really believed in you. I was just trying to show you that. But _I_ understand."

That sent Jack's teeth on edge. How dare Pitch compare himself to him. He turned and struck at Pitch with an ice blast. Pitch deflected it, but Jack kept coming. "You don't understand ANYTHING!"

Pitch snarled as he deflected each of Jack's blasts. "No? **I** don't know what it's like to be cast out?! To **not** be believed in?! To long for…a family…" Pitch was silent for a moment. The memories of his past flashed through his mind and that pain was reflected on his face. Jack paused, seeing this once evil creature take on the form of a tragic victim. Pitch looked up at Jack with longing in his eyes.

"What about Bonnie?" Jack asked, making Pitch still. "She believes in you."

Pitch let his eyes fall to the side. "She made her choice by teaming with you Guardians… Just as I made my choice. One child doesn't make a difference! Besides, Bonnie isn't a child anymore!"

He reflected back to the loneliness he had felt before Bonnie. "All those years in the shadows, I thought no one else knows what this feels like…but now I see I was wrong." He took a step closer to Jack. "We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you, and I _know_ children will too."

"In me?" Jack was tempted by the offer. So long he wanted to be seen, to be believed in. Maybe Pitch was actually on to something.

"Yes! Look at what we can do!" Pitch pointed to the aftermath of their little spat. The ice and black sand had formed into a sharp, jagged sculpture that was probable feel at home in a Burton art museum. "What goes together better than Cold and Dark? We can make them believe! We'll give them a world where everything, _everything_ is–"

"Pitch Black?" Jack stated, catching on to Pitch's true plan.

"... And Jack Frost, too," Pitch added. "They'll believe in both of us."

"No, they'll _fear_ both of us. And that's not what I want." He turned and walked away. "Now for the last time: leave me alone!"

Pitch watched him walk away, a melancholy expression on his face. He thought Jack could be his ally, a kindred spirit. With Frost's power, combined with his own, the Guardians would be crushed and the world will fall back into the dark ages. But he was wrong.

"Very well… You want to be left alone? Done! But first…"

Jack turned and to his horror, he saw Baby Tooth struggling in Pitch's grasp. "Baby Tooth!" Pitch tightened his grip, squeezing the life out of her. Jack paused before Pitch could snap her small neck. He raised his staff, threatening to blast Pitch if he harmed the fairy.

Pitch smiled in triumph. He knew Jack wouldn't attack if Baby Tooth's life was in danger. "The staff, Jack!"

Jack hesitated. He was powerless without the staff, but he couldn't let anything happen to Baby Tooth.

"You have a bad habit of interfering," Pitch smirked. "Now hand it over…and I'll let her go."

Baby Tooth looked at Jack and pleaded with him not to give up his staff. Jack held his staff, wanting desperately to send Pitch back to the Ice Age. He sighed. Lowering his staff, Jack admitted surrender. Pitch smiled and took the staff from him.

"Alright, now let her go." Jack held out his hand for Baby Tooth.

Pitch shook his head . "No." Jack eyes widen. Pitch had played him for a fool, and he'd walked right into it. "You said you wanted to be alone… So be alone!"

Angered by the Boogieman's trick, Baby Tooth leaned her head back and stabbed Pitch's hand with the sharp tip of her nose. He drew back in pain. He shook his hand in pain before throwing Baby Tooth like Randy Johnson. Jack watched as the little fairy hit the wall and disappeared into the ice crevice.

"NO!" Jack turned and watched Pitch snap his staff in half over his knee. The sound of the staff breaking actually caused Jack physical pain, forcing his to grab his middle and stumble to his knees. Pitch then threw a ball of black sand, causing Jack to fall into the ice crevice after Baby Tooth. Pitch leaned over the edge and chuckled at the fallen hero. He threw the broken staff and was about to leave when…

"Wait!" Pitch turned back to see Jack struggling to his feet. "Where's Roxy?" he demanded.

A cold smile spread over Pitch's black lips. He turned to peer down at Jack with a triumphant look on his dark face. "Oh, you mean the human girl you abandoned in my labyrinth? She didn't put up much of a challenge for my little Nightmares."

Jack's anger burned, his fists clenching so tight his knuckles turned white. He glared up at the Nightmare King with such hatred. "I swear, Pitch, if you harmed her–"

"Oh but I didn't do anything, Jack," Pitch insured. "You did."

"What?"

"You left her alone to search for your memories, remember? She tried to believe that you would come back, but she realized it was futile. You never came. Perhaps, you were never even there."

"You're lying. Now tell me: Where. Is. She!"

Pitch chuckled and tossed a ball of black sand into the ravine. Jack backed away, thinking it was a Nightmare come to attack him and Baby Tooth. When it reached the bottom the black orb hovered in the air and began to glow an ominous violet. Jack shielded his eyes but a voice caught his attention.

"_Roxana!"_

"_Bonnie!"_

Jack turned and saw that the voice came from inside the orb.

"_Roxana, Bonnie! Where are you?"_

"_Please! Answer us!"_

Jack stepped closer and peered into the floating orb. Inside the sand cleared to show Mr. Clyde and Mrs. Bennett searching the woods, calling out their daughters' name. There was fear in their eyes as they continued to search. It was about mid afternoon. They had been out searching ever since Mrs. Bennett discovered both Roxy and Bonnie were missing when she went to check on them that morning. She had left Jamie and Sophie with a neighbor, and called Bonnie's parents. Jack continued to watch as Mr. Clyde and Mrs. Bennett came to the clearing where he and Roxy had found the entrance to Pitch's lair, only the adults could not see it. But Mr. Clyde did see the figure kneeling before the entrance.

"_Over here," Mr. Clyde called. "I found Roxy."_

Jack could hardly believe that the girl he saw before him was Roxy. She was on her knees, not moving except for the slight intake of breath. Her head was bowed and appeared to be looking in the direction of the hole. Instantly Mr. Clyde and Mrs. Bennett were at her side.

"_Oh Roxana, where have you been? You and Bonnie scared us to death?" Mr. Clyde asked frantically._

"_Roxy, don't you know you're supposed to tell me when you leave the house. And where's Bonnie?" Mrs. Bennett asked, trying to keep her voice under control._

_"Roxy, are you alright?" Mr. Clyde touched the girl's shoulder and jerked back his hand. "Her skin is like ice." He then removed his winter coat and wrapped it around her, while Mrs. Bennett tried to get Roxy to stand. But it was as if she had no strength to move. Mr. Clyde lifted Roxy into his arms and carried her back to his car._

The image began to fade until the orb dissolved back into sand.

"No… **NO!**" Jack fell to the ground desperately trying to retrieve the orb and see what happened to Roxy, but the sand just slipped through his fingers. Tears pricked and froze in the corners of his eyes, and he grit his teeth. Then his eyes drifted up to Pitch and he glared ice daggers.

"Ooh, it appears young Frost saw something he didn't approve of," Pitch mocked. "If only you had been there for her. Perhaps she wouldn't be where she is now. And maybe…" His smiled became more devilish. "Maybe she would still believe in you."

Jack's anger melted away and was replaced by disbelief. He staggered backward and fell against the ice wall.

"That's right, Jack," Pitch continued. "The girl no longer believes in you. In fact, she doesn't believe in anything anymore. And it's all _your_ fault." Suddenly, Pitch was gone.

Jack cried out and tried to climb the wall after Pitch. However, it was nearly impossible without his staff and he slipped on the ice. He began beating his fists against the thick wall of ice, trying to escape. He needed to get to Roxy; he needed to see her in person. There was no way she just stopped believing. But then the image of her half frozen and weak flashed in his mind. He slid back against the wall in defeat.

"I failed her. I failed everyone…" Jack looked around in a daze when his eyes landed on a still form. "Baby Tooth!" He shifted over and picked the small fairy up in his hands. "You alright?" He tried to cover her from the cold, but she chirped in protest. Jack opened his hand to find her starring back at him. She looked with wide eyes before a large sneeze escaped her.

Jack sighed. "Sorry. All I can do is keep you cold." He moved so that he sat on his knees. He just couldn't do anything right. "Pitch was right… I make a mess of everything."

Baby Tooth suddenly perked up and walked across Jack's thigh. "Hey..." He watched as she slipped inside his sweatshirt pocket. _Must be trying to get warm_, he thought. He sighed and curled himself back up against the cavern wall. He closed his eyes. All he wanted was to forget.

_Jack! Jack!_

Jack's eyes opened as the strange but familiar voice called him again. He looked down and saw a golden glow coming from inside his sweatshirt pocket. He jumped back in surprise before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his Teeth Box, the source of the glow.

_Jack!_

He looked down to find Baby Tooth huddled on his knee staring up at him. He looked at the box, then back at Baby Tooth. She starred back as she placed her hand on the box. She gave him a nod that it was time for him to look at his memories. Taking a deep breath, Jack placed three fingers on the top of the box, touching the center blue diamond as he moved his fingers back, a bright light emerged from the box nearly blinding him. When he looked again, he was amazed to see himself, but he was different. His skin was not as pale, his hair was a warm brown, and eyes were a soft amber. He wore a white woolen shirt with a small brown open vest, and the same tattered brown pants with lighter material starting from the knee down to the end. There were two other figures: a woman and a small girl. Both had the same hair and eye color he had and they were laughing with him. And he remembered: he was Jackson Overland Frost.

* * *

**_~Flashback~_**

_Jack ran backwards away from his mother and sister. He was laughing and raised his hands teasingly to his hands, taunting his sister into a game of chase. His mother held a basket, and looked at him with an annoyed smile. "Jack, you can't have fun all the time."_

* * *

_He sat in a tree as his sister and two of her friends watched from below._

"_Jack, get down from there!" his sister called._

_Instead Jack smiled and fell backwards, until he was hanging upside-down from the tree branch._

* * *

_It was night and the children were all laughing. Jack had taken a pair of antlers and was holding them on top of his head. He lumbered around and pretended to be a strange beast, making the children laugh more._

"_Jack!"_

"_You're funny, Jack"_

* * *

_Jack and his sister were heading out the door, a pair of ice skates slung over his shoulder._

"_Be careful," his mother calmly warned._

_Jack laughed. "We will." He looked once at his sister as she pulled on his arm to urge them toward the pond, then back to his mother._

* * *

_Her alarmed face reflected in his eyes. She looked down before turning her frightened gaze back to her brother. After setting aside his skates, Jack was on his knees calmly holding out his hand to reassure her._

"_It's okay, it's okay. Don't look down, just, look at me."_

"_Jack, I'm scared." Her eyes drifted downward as the ice continued to crack under her feet._

"_I know, I know." He took a step forward, only to have the ice crack under his own weight. Any more pressure would send them both into the icy waters. He knew things were bad, but Jack had to be brave for his sister. "But you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in. Uh?" He thought and then his familiar mischievous smile brightened his face. "We're gonna have a little fun instead."_

"_No, we're not!" she cried._

"_Would I trick you?"_

"_Yes! You always play tricks."_

"_Well, alright," he laughed. "Well, not-not this time. I promise, I promise you're gonna be…you're gonna be fine." She looked up with hopeful, but panicked eyes. "Ya have to believe in me."_

_His sister nodded her head and took a deep breath. Jack nodded before getting an idea._

"_You wanna play a game?" he asked. "We're gonna play __Hopscotch__! Like we play every day. It's as easy as, uh… One!" He took one step to the side. The ice cracked under his foot, but he kept going. He even pretended to loose his balance as he took the next step, making his sister laugh. "Whoa! … Two!" He jumped over to the safe part of the ice. "Three!"_

_He sighed in relief. Now he had to get his sister out of danger. "Alright," reaching and grabbing hold of a long stick, "now it's your turn." Luckily the stick had a hooked end, which made his plan a lot easier. "One."_

_She took one step, making the ice crack. She gasped. "That's it, that's it. Two… Three!" He reached out and hooked the staff around his sister's waist. Using all his strength, he pulled her toward him. The force caused them both to spin, throwing Jack backwards as his sister landed to safety. Looking up, they smiled at how they had escaped. But as Jack began to take a step forward, the ice finally gave way and plunged him into the water._

"_JACK!" But there was nothing his sister could do. The last thing Jack saw was the moon shining above him before he was swept into the darkness._

**_~Flashback~_**

* * *

Jack gasped as he returned to the ice crevice. He looked first at his Teeth Box, then down at Baby Tooth. During his flashback, she had dropped to the snow and was trying to stay warm.

"Did you see-Did you see that?!" he asked her. Baby Tooth chirped and shook her head, but Jack was too excited and laughed at the Baby Tooth up to bring her closer. "It-It was-It was me! I had a family! I had a sister! I _saved_ her!"

The return of his past life, and remembering how he'd saved his sister… Now it all made sense! Jack looked up toward the moon. "That's why you chose me." He finally knew who he was, and what he was destined to do. "I'm-I'm a Guardian!"

Jack stood and placed Baby tooth on his shoulder, making her chirp. "We have to get outta here."

He looked around for a way to escape. He found the staff Pitch had broken and raced to it. Picking up both ends, Jack tried to fit the two pieces back together. His first attempt ended with the two pieces slipping. Jack grunted in frustration, but he refused to give up. Fitting them together for a second time, he concentrated. He focused on the power inside him and willed it to reform the staff. A bright light began to glow and then the staff was made whole once again.

Baby Tooth chirped in joy as Jack used the staff to lift them out of the ice crevice.

"Wha-hoo!" Jack laughed as he soared through the air. "Come on, Baby Tooth. I owe you one." Jack then turned and headed back to Burgess.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Confrontations**

_Burgess, Pennsylvania…_

The tunnel opened up, allowing Bonnie to climb out into the back yard of her house. The Guardians had insisted she return home because it was getting too dangerous. Using what little power he had, Bunnymund summoned a portal that would take Bonnie home. The Tooth Fairy accompanied her to make sure she arrived safely. Not a word was spoken the entire time. Tooth hovered while Bonnie stared on, clutching the only egg that had been spared from Pitch's massacre.

"Don't worry, Bonnie. We'll find your friend," Tooth promised.

"I know you guys will, but that doesn't stop me from worrying… Pitch doesn't know what Roxy means to me," Bonnie said. Tooth looked at her one last time before reentering the tunnel, and disappearing.

Bonnie entered her house and sat down in the living room. So far it looked like her parents were still out so she had some time for herself. Her eyes fell back to the egg in her hands.

_Why did any of this happen? Why_… _The holidays are ruined, the Guardians are losing their powers, children don't believe anymore, Roxy is missing, and it's all Jack's fault! Maybe_…_maybe he didn't intend to leave her with Pitch_… _Oh Pitch! Why Pitch, why wasn't I enough for you? Why did you make me pick sides? Why darn it, WHY?_ Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the front door open. She looked up to see her mother frantically looking for her car keys.

"Mom?"

Mrs. Clyde froze and quickly turned to see her daughter standing in the doorway of the living room. She dropped her keys and rushed to gather Bonnie into her arms.

"Oh, I was so worried. Are you alright?" she gushed, her voice slightly accented from her Spanish background. The worry took over her voice and she pulled back to look over her daughter. "Bonita, what were you thinking going off like that? Do you have any idea the kind of panic you caused Mrs. Bennett and us?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I… I would tell you what happened, but you won't believe me," Bonnie replied, hugging her mom again.

Mrs. Clyde sighed. "I'm just glad you're safe," taking her daughter in her arms. "After what happened to Roxana, I assumed the worst–"

"What do mean what happened to…" Bonnie interrupted her mother by pulling away. "You guys found Roxy!?"

Her mother went silent. She couldn't even look Bonnie in the eye. Her face was full of remorse. When she finally looked up, Mrs. Clyde put her hand on Bonnie's cheek. "Your father called me saying that he and Mrs. Bennett found her out in the woods. Your father is at the hospital, and I was just on my way to met him."

Panic filled Bonnie's eyes at her mother's words. She barely remembered getting into the car and driving to the hospital with her mother. When they walked into the hospital, they found Mr. Clyde with the Bennett family in the waiting room. Mrs. Clyde went to her husband's side and talked with Mrs. Bennett, while Bonnie walked over to Jamie and Sophie.

"Jamie, what's going on?" she asked him.

Jamie looked up and his usual carefree demeanor was shadowed by worry. "I don't know. I was looking for Easter eggs with my friends when Mom called the neighbors, and said me and Sophie needed to get to the hospital When we got here, she told us Roxy was sick. Bonnie, there's something wrong with her. Even the doctors don't know what to do."

"Can we see her?" Bonnie asked.

Looking around, Jamie took Sophie's hand and motioned for Bonnie to follow him. The three walked down the hall before slipping into one of the rooms. Making sure the door was shut tight, Bonnie turned and gasped when she saw her friend.

Roxie was sitting with her back propped up against the headboard, her hands folded in her lap. Her head was bowed, causing her hair to spill over her shoulders and hide her face in a curtain of blond hair. Jamie stood at her right while Sophie was trying to climb into the bed. Jamie lifted his little sister onto the bed and the girl laughed as she crawled over to her sister. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Roxy's neck, laughing and calling her sisters name. Her laughter died down when Roxy neither smiled nor returned her little sister's embrace.

_Something is _definitely_ wrong_, Bonnie thought. _No way would Roxy ignore Sophie like that_. Bonnie walked over to the other side of the bed. Sophie had pulled back and was looking at Roxy with sad eyes (or eye, since the girl's hair covered half her face). Bonnie hesitantly pulled back Roxy's hair to see her friend's face. Roxy was as still as a statue, and their was no emotion on her face. Normally the brilliant cocoa-colored orbs were sparkling with joy, or gleamed with a mischievous plan that involved Bonnie and all their friends. Now they were as dark and grey, like the sky during a heavy snowstorm. It was as if Roxy had become a doll, sitting there for all to see but there was no life.

Bonnie gasped, snapping her hand back to cover her mouth. Tears filled her eyes when she realized what had really happened to her friend. _Pitch, how could you?_

Bonnie's thoughts were interrupted by Jamie's voice. "The doctor says she's in shock, but that we can take her home today. Bonnie, whatever this is its spreading all over town. My friends were acting weird today, but Roxy seems the worst out of all of them."

Bonnie nodded before taking her friend's hand. She sniffled loudly and whispered, "I know what happened, Jamie." Jamie stared at Bonnie before she continued. "It…it was Pitch."

"Whose Pitch?" Jamie asked

"He…he was a friend of mine. He's kinda like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, but evil. He's the guy that gives you nightmares," Bonnie explained.

Roxy's hand suddenly clamped around Bonnie's hand at the word 'nightmare.' Bonnie squeezed back. Her eyes grew wider when a sickening though hit her. "Oh, Pitch, you didn't…"

"Didn't what?" Jamie asked, seeing his sister's reaction as well.

Jamie had never known Bonnie when she was angry. Like deadly angry. Now, her grey-green eyes flashed a deadly glint and her mouth tightened as she answered in a very harsh voice. "Pitch is making her live her worst nightmare."

"WHAT?!" Jamie shrieked, almost drawing the attention of their parents in the hallway. "How could he do that to Roxy? What did she do to him? This Pitch guy is evil! Just evil and–"

"Jamie!" Bonnie snapped, quieting the boy. "For once I agree with you. Pitch has gone too far this time."

Jamie quieted down and nodded. The doctor entered and told Mrs. Bennett that she could take Roxy home. The nurses loaded Roxy into a wheelchair and Mrs. Bennett wheeled her to the car. The Bennett family piled in while the Clydes got into their own car. They met up again at the Bennett house. Bonnie sat with Roxy all day, refusing to leave her friend's side, refusing to eat or drink. Eating and drinking would make her lose her madness. And right now, Bonnie needed her anger. As night fell, bonnie convinced her parents and Mrs. Bennett into letting her stay for the night. Darkness fell but Jamie hadn't gone to sleep.

Thoughts of that day played over and over in his mind. First his friends said they'd been having nightmares, and told him to stop believing in childish fantasies. Then his sister goes missing, only to show up an emotionless zombie. While Bonnie and Sophie sat with Roxy, Jamie tried to convince his mother of what Bonnie had told him. That conversation had gone well.

* * *

**_~Flashback~_**

"_But Mom it's true! Roxy's under some kind of evil spell–"_

"_Jamie just STOP IT!" Mrs. Bennett shouted in frustration. "Stop it. You're sister is in critical condition and I don't have time for this childish nonsense." She started crying again and told her son to go to bed._

**_~Flashback~_**

* * *

Jamie started to think about things. He wanted to believe that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were real, but what if it had just been a dream like his friends said? He wanted to believe so badly, but with all that had happened, he was beginning to lose faith. He sat up in bed and spotted his pink bunny on the floor. He picked up the bunny and propped it against his pillow. He sitting across from it, he confronted it, as if the small toy had a connection to the Easter Bunny.

"Okay, look. You and I are obviously at what they call a crossroads. So, here's what's gonna happen: If it wasn't a dream, and if you _are_ real...then you have to prove it. Like, right now."

Outside Jack Frost watched as the last child to believe struggled with doubt. After returning from Antarctica, Jack had gone to Pitch's lair to free the Tooth Fairies. Unfortunately, many kids had stopped believing, making it impossible for the mini fairies to fly. Jack watched as one-by-one the last lights went out, till there was only one left. Jack flew to the top and discovered the last light was in Burgess, Pennsylvania. He knew then it was Jamie. So, quick as he could, Jack rushed to the Bennett house.

Jamie tried to hold back his disappointment. "I believed in you for a long time, okay. Like, my whole life, in fact." He grabbed the rabbit and held it up. "So, you kind of owe me now. You don't have to do much. Just a little sign so I know." He waited. "Anything…anything at all."

Still the stuffed rabbit remained silent. Jamie sighed. "I knew it." He let the toy fall to the floor.

Jack silently opened Jamie's window and crept into the boy's room. He knew Jamie was starting to stop believing. He had to do something to prove it was all real. But how could he when Jamie could neither see nor hear him? He turned back to the window. Then he got an idea.

Jamie was just about to give up, when a small sound caught his attention. He turned and saw frost covering his window. Normally that wasn't so strange, until a picture of an Easter egg began to take form in the window. Jamie gasped and looked down to his discarded rabbit. _Could it be?_ he thought. He quickly looked back to his window as another picture began to form.

Seeing his plan work, Jack focused on his next drawing. This time he drew a rabbit. He smiled when he heard Jamie whisper, "He's real!"

When he was finished, Jack decided to take it a step further. Concentrating very hard, Jack used his magic to pry the rabbit from the window. The rabbit took full 3-D form in his hand before racing around Jamie's room. The boy laughed at the rabbit, evening making Jack laugh along too. It circled Jamie a few more times before bursting into a flurry of snowflakes.

Jamie was amazed, then he took a closer look. "Snow?" It was snowing inside his bedroom. But how could that be? one of the snowflakes drifted down and landed on his nose. Suddenly, his mom's words "Don't want Jack Frost nippin' at your nose" came to mind. He gasped. "Jack Frost..."

The sound of his name drew Jack's attention. "Did he just say–"

"Jack Frost?"

Jack was in utter disbelief. "Huh, he said it again… He said… You said…"

Hearing someone's voice, Jamie turned around and the sight before him had him stunned. "Jack Frost!"

"That's right!" Jack exclaimed. "But-But that's me! Jack Frost! That's my name! You said my name!" Jack looked at Jamie. He noticed the boy seemed to be in shock. Then it hit him.

"Wait, can-can you hear me?" he asked, daring to hope it was true. Too stunned, Jamie nodded his head. "Can you-Can you… Can you see me?" Jamie smiled and nodded his head again.

Jack laughed, almost wanting to cry from the joy he felt. "He _sees_ me! He-He sees _me_!" He laughed and did a back flip onto Jamie's desk.

Jamie laughed too. "You just made it snow!"

"I know!"

"In my room!"

"I know!" Jack jumped off the desk and walked over to Jamie's bed.

"You're real?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah man! Who do you think brings you all the blizzards, and-and the Snow Days? And you remember when you went flying on that sled the other day?"

"That was you?!"

"That was me!"

"Cool!"

"Right?!"

"But what about the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy? And, I mean, what about–"

"Real!" Jack exclaimed, scooping up Jamie's rabbit. "Real, real. _Every_ one of us, is real"

"I knew it!" Jamie exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Jamie who are you talking to?" Mrs. Bennett called from the hallway, haven been woken by her son's shouting.

There was a pause and the answer made Bonnie perk up. "Umm… Jack Frost?"

Mrs. Bennett just chuckled. "Okay…" making both Jamie and Jack laugh.

Across the hall, Bonnie was still by Roxy's bedside. Sophie had fallen asleep, but Roxy remained in the same position from the hospital bedroom. She had changed into dark grey nightgown that reached mid calf and bunny slippers. It was a dreary change from her usual frilly and girly attire but the drab nightwear reflected the anger that burned in her eyes. She had also helped Mrs. Bennett change Roxy into a pair of blue and white striped pajama pants and a blue T-shit. Bonnie was still fuming when she heard a Mrs. Bennett's voice outside the door.

Mrs. Bennett called and asked, "Jamie who are you talking to?"

There was a pause and the answer made Bonnie perk up. "Uh… Jack Frost."

Mrs. Bennett just chuckled. "Okay…"

Bonnie kissed Roxy's forehead and whispered, "I'm going to make this right. I promise you Roxy, I'll make this right."

Bonnie quietly sneaked into Jamie's room and saw the Winter Spirit.

"Wow, you're just like Roxy described," Jamie said as he looked over Jack.

"Jack!" Bonnie said as she burst into the room, making both Jack and Jamie look over at her.

"You can see him too?" Jamie asked, making Bonnie nod.

She grabbed Jack's ice-cold hand, ignoring the younger boy's shock. "Come with me, **now**!" she said, hauling Jack into Roxy's bedroom.

Not that he wasn't excited to see her, but Jack was a little surprise Bonnie seemed to have forgiven him. That made him wonder just how bad things was.

"Bonnie what's going…on – Oh no!" His eyes fell on Roxy. She had moved from the bed, and was standing at her window, arms at her side, just staring out into the night. Tentatively Jack crossed over and stood at Roxy's side. He felt his heart twinge when he saw that there was no life in her eyes. He brushed his fingers over her cheek and quickly drew them back. Her skin actually caused him a chill, and he was Jack Frost.

A strong wind blew open the windows. Both Jack and Bonnie rushed to look outside for the cause. Up above North was swiftly loosing control over the sleigh, resulting in a crash just across the street. Bonnie grabbed her bathrobe and, tying Butterfluff securely in her sash, ran out to see if anyone needed help. Jamie followed after her, but Jack lingered back. He carefully gathered Roxy in his arms, holding her bridal style. He placed her back in her bed. He wanted to stay with her, but the Guardians needed him more. He took one last look before slipping out the bedroom window.

Outside, North was stumbling in his sleigh, and Tooth could barley hold him upright.

"North, are you okay?" she asked.

"Is official," he stated. "My powers are kaput." Just as she was losing her grip, Tooth spotted a familiar face.

"Look!"

Jack rushed to the sleigh.

"Jack!" Tooth leapt out of the sleigh, but in her weakened state she fell to her knees. "Jack!"

"You okay?" He held out his hand to help her up.

"What are you doing here?" North asked. He had gotten out of the sleigh, and was using his sword as a cane.

Jack smiled. "Same as you." He turned just as Jamie and Bonnie came racing out of the house.

"The last light!" North whispered. There was still hope left.

Jamie was instantly star-struck. "Wow! It is you! I mean, it is you!" he laughed and ran up to the guardians. North held out his left hand and Jamie eagerly took it. "I knew it wasn't a dream!" he exclaimed. He turned back to look at Jack.

Both Tooth and North noticed this and were completely amazed. "Jack," North said. "He _sees_ you!"

"Well, I do too," Bonnie declared, looking pointedly at Jack.

"Wait! But, where's Bunny?" Jack asked, noticing the absence of the six-foot rabbit.

North sighed. "Losing Easter, took its toll on all of us. Bunny most of all."

North and Tooth stepped back from the sleigh, and bunny appeared. However, instead of his tall and grouchy demeanor, Bunny was a chibi form of himself.

"Oh no…" Jack whispered at the sight of his former frienemy.

Bunny hopped to the wing of the sleigh and sniffed around. Bonnie's eyes widened and she squeed. Jaime laughed. "That's the Easter Bunny?"

"Now somebody sees me!" Bunny said, his deep voice still the same. "I mean, where were you about an hour ago, mate?"

"What happened to him?" Jamie asked. "He used to be huge, and cool. And now he's…cute…" Jamie reached over and scratched under Bunnymund's chin. Hitting just the right spot, Bunny's eyes rolled back into his head and his left foot started thumping away.

"Oh! Oh, that's good," he mumbled. Realizing he was doing, Bunny shrugged the boy off, and batted at his with his little paws, daring Jamie to try that again. His eyes drifted to Jack with a disgusted look.

He pointed an accusing paw at him. "Did you tell him to say that?" Before Frost could answer, Bunny hopped over and kicked his leg, backing up to get ready foe a brawl. "That's it! Lets go. Me and you. Come on!"

"No," Jamie defended, "actually he told me you were real...just when I started to think that maybe you weren't."

Bunnymund looked at Jack in disbelief. "He made you believe…in me?" He pointed to himself. Jaime nodded and Bunny turned to Jack. A warm smile spread over his face.

A loud shriek broke the tender moment. "Oh no you don't!" Bunnymund said, trying to run from her, but Bonnie caught him.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing in the world? With your little paws and your little ears?" she cooed before kissing him on the nose.

"Oie, I'm not cute!" Bunnymund protested before Bonnie began some serious cuddling.

Despite the grim circumstances everyone couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Bonnie just ignored his words and cuddled him some more.

Suddenly lightning struck, making everyone turn in that direction. Bonnie stopped cuddling to look up and saw Pitch and his army of Nightmares descending towards them.

"Get Jamie out of here," Jack directed.

"Be careful, Jack," North said as he, Bunnymund, and Tooth led Jamie to safety. However, none of them noticed that Bonnie had stayed behind as Jack flew to confront Pitch.

Needless to say, Pitch was none to happy to see Frost. "Jack Frost?!" He sighed in annoyance and leaned back into his black sand. "Let's end this, shall we?!"

Jack sent a large blast toward Pitch, but Pitch countered with a shield of black sand. "That little trick doesn't work on me **anymore**!" Pitch focused his own blast and managed to throw Jack out of the sky. Unable to stand it any longer, Bonnie stepped out in front.

"Kozmotis Pitchner!" she shouted, her hunger and anger making her voice hollow and furious.

Pitch's heart all but stopped. Bonnie looked furious standing in the street, her arms crossed and her eyes drilling holes into him. He lowered himself so he stood on the street as well. "Bonnie–" he began, but she cut him of by storming up to him and slapping him across the face, leaving a light lavender hand print in it's place.

"Why did you do that to Roxy?!" she shouted, her face red and her eyes filling with tears. "Why are you doing all of this? I thought I was your friend, Pitch! Friends don't do this to friends of friends. Roxy is my friend, Pitch. She was there while you were gone! She protected me when you left! And you go and do this to her? … You go and do this to me? Wasn't I enough for you?" Tears were spilling down her face.

Pitch stood speechless for many reasons. Bonnie had slapped him, shouted at him, and renounced their friendship in a matter of moments. He tried to speak but she cut him off

"Save it for someone who cares, Pitch. I… I don't want to be your friend anymore," she said, shaking her head and rushing back to the Guardians, shouting over her shoulder, "If you don't end this, I choose them."

Pitch watched as she rushed after them. Part of what silver of humanity remained in his hear was consumed by pure hatred. Not only had that infernal Frost kept the last child believing, but those accursed Guardians had cost him the last thing he cared about in this world.

"Very well... If that's how it's to be, then so be it."

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Sorry, but am I the only one who sees a resemblance to Fluttershy and Discord in that last scene? Also, hating myself for making a My Little Pony reference, but it had to be said.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Do You Believe?**

"This way! This way!" Bunnymund called to the others as they raced down the alleyway. He kept running until he hit a brick wall. "Ah! Dead end! Other way! Other way!" He ran to the opposite side, while Tooth and Jamie ran after him. North did his best to keep up, but unlike Tooth and Bunny, he was human. Without the children to believe in him, time was catching up, making him a weak old man. They were just leaving the alley when Jack fell from the sky, hitting a dumpster and landing on the ground.

"Jack!" Jamie raced to Jack's side, followed by the others. As Jamie got to Jack, Bonnie came ripping around the corner.

"There you are!" she gasped. "We need to move. I think I made it worse." Then she noticed Jack. "Oh, dude, are you okay?"

He answered with a groan and stumbled to his feet. North leaned over and gave him a pat on the back. "That was good try, Jack. A for effort."

But Jack couldn't accept North's praise. His powers had no effect on Pitch. "He's stronger," he managed to say. "I can't beat him."

North looked at Tooth just as another lighting bolt struck. They looked up and began to form a half circle around Jamie and Bonnie. Pitch's laughed as his shadow passed over them.

"All this fuss over one little boy, _and still_ he refuses to stop believing. Very well. There are other ways to snuff out a light." A shadowed hand passed over the surrounding streetlights, causing the bulbs to burst and covering everything in darkness. The Guardians only tightened their formation.

Bunnymund took one leap forward. "If you want him, you're gonna have ta go through me." He held up his arms open wide to defend Jamie.

Along the floor, the shadowed large hand reached out with one finger toward Bunnymund. "Look how fluffy you are," Pitch mocked. "Would you like a scratch behind the ears?"

Bunnymund jumped out of the way. He raced up North's shoulder until he rested in his friend's hand. "_Don't_ you even think about it!" he warned.

"I can't tell you how happy it make me to see you all like this." As he spoke the Nightmares appeared. The Guardians all stepped back, Jack holding his hand out to keep Jamie behind him. Even Bonnie could tell they were in trouble. The Nightmares slowly crept forward, eyes glowing bright as they awaited their master's command. Pitch appeared riding the head mare, his smile darkening into sinister delight. "You look _awful_!"

The Guardians braced themselves as the shadows of Pitch and his Nightmares began to draw closer. The smell of their fear exhilarating the Nightmares. They kept backing up until they reached the wall. There was nowhere left to run.

Jamie looked up at Jack. "Jack... I'm scared."

Jack bent down and placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder. Before he could speak, the memory of his sister on the pond came to his mind.

* * *

"_Jack, I'm scared."_

"_I know, I know. But you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in. Uh?" He thought and then his familiar mischievous smile brightened his face._

* * *

"We're gonna have a little fun instead." As he repeated the words aloud, Jack had an epiphany. Fun! "That's it! That's my center!" Jamie looked confused but Jack had already come up with a plan.

Pitch laughed as his mare whinnied. "So, what do you think, Jamie?" addressing the frightened boy. "Do you believe in the Boogie– AHH!" He was cut off as a snowball hit him right in the face. Jamie, Bonnie, and the other Guardians laughed along with Jack, who was tossing another snowball in his hand. He looked around and spotted a trash lid, a large stir-fry pan, a broken latter, and the bottom of a wooden crate. He remembered the day he took Jamie on the wild sled ride and got another idea.

He turned to Jamie with a smile. "Now, lets go get your friends."

Pitch cleared the snow from his face, only to have his Nightmares rear up as Jack created an icy pathway. He flew past Pitch with everyone else riding after him on their makeshift sleds. They flew down the street, laughing, except for Bunny who sat in the stir-fry lid spinning out of control. Bonnie sat behind him and was having a similar reaction as Jack created a ramp, sending them all into the air. When they landed, North had caught Bonnie and Bunny, holding onto them the rest of the way.

They continued like this all over town, stopping at each one of Jamie's friends' homes. With the help of Jack's special snowballs, each of Jamie's friends had regained their belief. Soon, all the kids could see they Guardians, and they could now see Jack Frost as well. Quickly the children snuck out of their homes and joined in the fun. They all sled down the street, each of them crying out:

"Jamie, you were right!"

"The Easter Bunny's real!"

"The Tooth Fairy!"

"And Santa!"

"They're _all_ real!"

Suddenly Jack stopped, causing everyone to come to a hault. Everyone gasped in horror as an enormous wave of Nightmares appeared before them.

Pitch appeared in front, still mounted to his mare. He sneered at the fear plainly seen in their eyes. "You think a few children can help you, against THIS!" He drew back his hands to reveal the cloud of Nightmares that surrounded the entire town from all sides. North tried to raise his sword, but even with the added children, there was not enough belief to bring the Guardians back to their full strength. North weakened under his blade, Jack and Tooth steadying him. Jamie stepped forward, fearful for what would happen to his new friends.

Sensing his fear, Jack turned to reassure Jamie. "They're _just_ bad dreams, Jamie."

"We'll protect you, mate," Bunny added.

"Oh, _you'll _protect _them_?" Pitch laughed. "But who will protect _you_?"

Jack began to step forward, when Jamie stepped in front of him. He glared up at Pitch, determination in his eyes. "I will!"

"I will!" Cupcake added. Soon, the other kids joined in and each stepped forward to defend the Guardians.

"I will! I will!" said the twins.

"You know I will!" Bonnie declared, standing next to Bunny.

"And me!" Pippa stated as she stood right next to Jamie.

"Uh- I'll try," Monty stuttered. He was scared but he wanted to help too.

They all looked up at Pitch and readied themselves for a fight.

Pitch scoffed. As if these pathetic children could ever possible defeat him. He turned to them asked, "Still think there's no such thing as the Boogieman?"

The black cloud was getting closer. It snuffed out all the street lamps, making it darker and gaining the Nightmares more power, and with it, raising Pitch's confidence.

The children were starting to get scared as the cloud raised for the first strike. But Jamie held his ground. He looked Pitch in the eye and accepted his challenge.

"I do believe in you," he said. "I'm just not afraid of you!"

The Nightmares struck down, aiming right for Jamie and his friends. Jack readied himself against the attack. The kids shrunk back as they anticipated the blast, but Jamie put his hand out. As the black sand touch him, a golden light surrounded them all, deflecting the Nightmares and sending them back. The black sand was consumed in the light and became golden dreamsand once more. Both the Guardians and the children were amazed as it continued to spread all over town. One by one the Nightmares were retuning to their former dreams states. As the transformation happened, Tooth, North, and Bunnymund slowly began to recover their strength. Tooth was able to fly, and North felt decades younger as he swung his swords with renewed vigor.

"NO!" Pitch shouted. He turned to his remaining Nightmares. "Get them! Do your jobs" The Nightmares obeyed and attacked.

Seeing his friend regain their powers, Bunnymund eagerly anticipated being returned to his former glory. "Oh yay! Come on! Come on!" He didn't have much time as a herd of Nightmares stampeded toward him. "Oh Crikey!" He ran for his life.

Seeing his friend in trouble, North pulled two snow globes from his pockets. He threw them to the ground and opened two portals, releasing an army of Yetis, elves, and specialized toys onto the Nightmares.

"Aaaah! I'm just a bunny!" Bunnymund cried as he continued to run from the Nightmares. He managed to dive under a car when one Nightmare caught him by the tail. Unfortunately when it pulled him out, Bunnymund was no longer a small rabbit, but he was back to his glorious six foot one Pooka self. He laughed and looked up at his assaulter. "Good da' mate." He kicked the Nightmare square in the jaw before doing a triple back flip in the air, and throwing his boomerangs at the surrounding Nightmares. Oh yes, he was back alright. He then thumped the ground and opened his tunnels for his sentinel eggs to join the fight.

"Come on!" he cried as he led them into battle.

**XXX**

Atop his rooftop perch, Pitch felt his anger rise as he watched the scene play out before him. Not only had he lost Bonnie, but now she was helping his hated enemies make the children believe in those pathetic Guardians. His Nightmares were strong but if more children started to believe in the Guardians, he would surely lose. His eyes finally fell on Jack Frost blasting away Nightmares with his power, desperately doing everything to protect Jamie and his friends. As he searched the children's faces, he smiled when he realized Bonnie's friend was not among them.

_So, they haven't figured out how to awaken you, have they? Well then, I may just be able to turn this around after all._ Pitch's smile grew darker. He reached inside his robe, pulling out a glowing white vial, and whispered to it. "Come to me."

**XXX**

Jack fought against the Nightmares with all he had. Every time he blasted one, three more would appear. Still he refused to be defeated. Suddenly the Nightmares began to halt, turning away and attacking the others. Jack couldn't figure out what was going on when a sudden blast hit him from behind. He fell to the ground, managing to prop himself up with his staff. He turned to see Roxy starring down at him, her right hand enveloped in black sand.

"Roxy what–" He was cut off as the sand on Roxy's hand consumed her body, enveloping her while forming two long blades along both her arms. She lunged at him.

Jack dogged as Roxy kept coming at him, slashing her makeshift blades at his face and chest. Using his staff he managed to block as she brought down both the blades, keeping her from piercing his chest. He looked up and gasped when he saw Roxy. It was if she had become like the Nightmares; a living shadow. Her face was black and twisted into a snarl set to kill, but her eyes were now completely white and hollow. As he fought to defend himself Jack heard a malicious laugh behind him.

"Pitch!" Jack snapped, turning his head in the Boogieman's direction. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, you like my new puppet?" he sneered. "I'm surprised she could suppress it this long, but you must admit, she makes quite the little Fearling." He turned the vial over in his hands, marveling at it like a rare jewel. "What will you do now, Jack? Can you honestly strike that poor girl, or will you let her destroy you and your friends?"

Jack cursed under his breath. Whatever Pitch had done to Roxy was allowing him to control her mind, and Jack couldn't harm her. But he couldn't let Roxy harm anyone else. If she managed to break Pitch's control only to discover she'd harmed someone, she'd never forgive herself. The only way to stop her was to break Pitch's control.

"Roxy! Roxy, wake up!" Jack screamed. "Come on, Rox. I know you. You never let fear control you before. Don't let Pitch control you."

They struggled until Jack managed to break away. He used the wind to hover over her. Roxy lashed out but she couldn't reach him. That's when her gaze fell on Jamie. He and Bonnie were helping the others fight off the Nightmares. She began advancing on them.

"No!" Jack threw up ice shields to block Roxy's path, but she sliced through them as if they were tissue paper.

"North!" Jack called, "I need you're help."

North had just sliced through a Nightmare when he saw Roxy heading for the children. When he saw her, he gasped: it had been a long time since Pitch had used this power. North turned to find Bunnymund.

"Bunny! Little help?" Bunnymund nodded and tapped his foot on the ground. A tunnel opened up and North jumped in. He appeared right in front of Roxy, his twin swords ready to fight. Roxy let out an unearthly cry and charge. Soon the two were locked in a duel. Seeing that was under control, Jack soared to Bonnie's side.

"I need your help," he told her.

"What's going on? Why is Roxy attacking Santa?"

"Pitch has control over her. She can't stop. I need you to help me find out how Pitch is controlling her and stop him."

Bonnie's heart stopped. Pitch really had gone too far this time. She blinked away her tears and nodded and let Jack loop his arm around her waist before he lifted them into the air. Bonnie bit back her fear of heights and focused on her hatred to what Pitch has done. They landed on a rooftop and observed the entire scene. Roxy was fighting hard against North. Bonnie looked over to Pitch and saw the vial in his hands.

"That's what he's using to control her," Bonnie said. "Every fairy tale tells that if you break the device controlling the person, they get set free or…"

"Or what?" Jack asked, noting how she had not let go of him.

"Or she will be trapped in her nightmare… Forever," Bonnie said.

Jack thought over the possibilities and decided that the 50/50 chance was worth it. He decided he'd later ask how she knew of such a device, and focused on prying Bonnie off him. Once he dislodged her, Jack flew into Pitch's line of sight. The Nightmare King hurtled a black sand ball at Jack, which the Winter Spirit avoided easily.

"Gettin' slow old man!" Jack called as he sent a volley of icicles at Pitch.

With a wave of his hand, Pitch blocked the icicles with a wall of black sand. His face was expressionless as he conjured up his scythe and swung it at Jack. There was no purpose to his attacks, it was almost like he was doing it because he had to. He didn't realize that Jack was herding him towards the rooftop with Bonnie on it.

Bonnie saw the vial from Pitch's hand be put onto his belt Jack drove him closer with a flurry of snowflakes and she lunged for the vial...but missed. She screamed as she started to fall. Pitch looked down and saw her falling. His heart stopped when he found himself rushing towards her. Catching her in his arms, Bonnie grabbed the vial and tossed it into the air, Jack catching it.

Pitch looked down at Bonnie. "You used me..." he said, placing her on the rooftop.

"I didn't use you Pitch. I just got even," Bonnie said, "I may be against what you do, but I will never be against you… I love you too much."

Pitch stared at her before she moved closer to him. She was about to kiss him when a boomerang came up and knocked him in the head.

"Oie, get away from 'er!" Bunnymund shouted, leaping onto the rooftop. Bunnymund ran to Bonnie's side just as Pitch shadow jumped away. "Ya alright Sheila?"

"Yes, I'm al–" She was cut off as a load scream pierced the air. Anyone not in the heat of battle drew his or her attention in the direction of the scream, coming from the rooftop Bonnie had fallen from.

Jack was hovering in the air, surrounded by a ball of white light. His eyes were glowing bright and his hands were clamped firmly on the slim vial. His mouth was open and bloodcurdling screams flowed forth like a raging river.

"Crikey! What the devil is appenin' ta Frost?" Bunnymund asked, unable to look away.

"It's the vial," Bonnie explained. "It's what's controlling Roxy. It must have some kind of defense on it."

Close by, lurking in the shadows, Pitch shook his head, a grim smirk on his face. _Oh it's much worse than that, my dear Bonnie. For now, young Frost has been taken into the core of Roxana's nightmares._

**XXX**

**Cosmic Horse:** Damn you Pitch! Bonnie's gonna kill you... Um maybe…


	11. Chapter 10

**4/29/13 - ****AN:** I would like to apologize. I had no idea I had accidentally posted the prologue twice (okay, 3x's if you count the failed editing of ch. 1, which is fixed now). I considered deleting this chapter altogether, but decided to just rewrite and post the missing chapter. Thank you again Cosmic for keeping a backup! I'm really sorry about this to all of you who had already read this story. Please enjoy, and again, sorry about that.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Waking Nightmare **

_Jack struggled against the darkness. For a moment, he didn't want to do anything. The darkness was slowly overtaking his mind, but he fought back. Suddenly, his eyes burst opened. He looked around and saw he was lying in the middle of the street. He recognized his hometown, but for a moment he wondered if what he was seeing was real._

_He was just outside Burgess but it wasn't the little town he was used to. There was snow on the ground but the sky was a bright red, and the clouds were dark gray. Jack flew down and was flabbergasted by everything he saw. All the buildings were either destroyed or burning into smoldering piles of ash. Nightmares ran rampant while the townspeople ran for their lives. Some weren't even running but living in a comatose state on the ground. These were the poor souls who hadn't escaped the Nightmares. Their bodies lie twisted in fear, and their hair had turned stark white. It was not a sight one wished to see. Jack searched the faces for any sign of Roxy, but it was nearly impossible._

_"Where the heck am I?"_

_His attention was drawn to a cackling figure above the whole scene. Jack looked up and saw Pitch looking down at the destruction and chaos, and reveling in it. But this was not the Pitch Jack had just been battling moments before. The Boogieman looked similar, but he was an enormous black shadow. His silver-gold eyes were now completely blood red and his impossibly white teeth were filed to a point. He cackled at the destruction and fear that surrounded him, eagerly searching for more victims. This was truly the King of Nightmares, a being that lived in a person's night terrors. A creature more powerful than anything Jack could imagine._

_"Whoa! So _this_ is her worst nightmare?" He needed to find Roxy and get her to wake up, fast. He flew through the town, searching everywhere for her. Jack dropped to the ground as his gaze fell on two small forms in the snow. Jack had to keep himself from retching. It was Jamie and Sophie. They had been caught by the Nightmares and were in the same comatose state._

_"It's not real," Jack reminded himself. He pushed on though every fiber of his being was crying out to avenge the children. If he wanted this to end, he had to find Roxy and wake her up. Unfortunately, he didn't have to look far._

_"Bonnie, RUN!"_

_Jack looked up and saw two figures running hand-in-hand into the woods. They were both wearing tattered white gowns and had long hair that flew behind them as they ran. He could tell they were girls and as they got closer, Jack could see they were running from a stampede of Nightmares. One girl had red-brown hair, while the other was white-blond; it was Bonnie and Roxy._

_"Roxy!"_

_Jack flew off to her side but he wasn't the only one to notice the two girls. Pitch had seen the girls and called off his Nightmares so he could pursue them himself. Seeing him gaining on the girls, Jack tried his best to reach them but it was difficult to maneuver through the maze of trees. Finally he spotted them. He was about three feet away when a swarm of Nightmares surrounded him. He rolled his eyes. This was only a dream, so the Nightmares shouldn't be able to attack him. He was wrong._

**XXX**

_Roxy was running for her life, trying her best to keep her best friend safe._

_"Its a little further, Bonnie," she encouraged. "Just try to hang on."_

_"I don't know if I can," Bonnie cried. They had been running for so long, and her legs were beginning to give out. All she knew was that the town had been destroyed and everyone was gone. And now there were nightmarish creatures hunting them._

_"You can, just stay with me," Roxy pulled Bonnie tighter and ran faster. If she could make it to the clearing she could find the Guardians and get Bonnie to safety. She'd already failed her family; she would not fail Bonnie._

_Suddenly Roxy was propelled forward as Bonnie's grip was ripped from her hand. Roxy fell face first into the snow. Pulling herself, she looked behind her to see Bonnie struggling in Pitch's grasp. His glowing red eyes glared down at his prey, not a trace of feeling whatsoever. He laughed maliciously._

_"Well, well, well. Looks like you loose, little girl."_

_"NO!"_

_Roxy watched in horror as Pitch placed his hand over Bonnie's face. A flurry of black sand swirled around her head before entering her nose and mouth. Bonnie began to thrash about in Pitch's grasp, her years of fears overwhelming her tenfold. Roxy covered her ears, but that could not shut out the horrifying screams of her friend._

_"STOP IT! STOP IT!"_

_But Pitch only laughed at her pitiful pleas. Finally, everything was deathly still. Roxy looked up to see Bonnie limp in Pitch's grasp. He dropped her body to the ground and laughed._

_Roxy ran. She ran faster than she had ever ran before in her life. Everyone was gone but if she could get to the glen then she could call the Guardians, and Jack. Jack always came for her no matter what kind of danger she was in he always managed to save her. Finally Roxy reached the glen. The lake was frozen and the scenery reflected the red skies above. The pond was frozen over as well._

_Roxy ran around calling out, "Jack? Tooth Fairy? Bunny? North? Anybody?" The woods began to close in around her. Roxy stepped back and when her foot stepped out onto the edge of the pond, the ice began to crack under her weight. She gasped and tears pooled in the corners of her eyes._

_"Somebody, HELP ME, PLEASE?!"_

_Her pleas were answered by a cruel cackle. She turned to see Pitch's glowing red eyes peer at her amongst the shadow of the surrounding trees. Her breathing became labored and she stood frozen in place._

_"No one is coming," he hissed. "There's no one to save you."_

_"That's not true," Roxy shouted back. "The Guardians will stop__–__"_

_"There_ _are no Guardians. They never existed."_

_"But t-that can't be true." Roxy glared back at the shadow. "You're lying!"_

_Pitch laughed in her face. The sound echoed all around her. Roxy covered her ears to block it out and took another step back, the ice cracking under her feet._

_"STOP IT! STOP IT!"_

_"You foolish little girl," Pitch hissed. "No one believes in the Guardians so they don't exist. Not even Jack Frost."_

_"NO!"_

**XXX**

_Jack heard Roxy's cry and desperately tried to get to her. Though he seemed to pass through all the other ghosts of Roxy's nightmare, the Nightmares were able to attack him. He'd already blasted his way through several of the dark creatures, and hearing Roxy scream only added to his focus. Finally the Nightmares began to back off, allowing Jack to continue. Then he saw why the Nightmares had retreated. Where the lake should have been, thick trees surrounded the entire area. There was no way for him to enter, and he could hear Roxy's screams coming from the other side. Jack charged and blasted the trees with his most powerful ice blast. It only succeeded in creating a wall of ice around the trees._

**XXX**

_Roxy was beginning to lose her grip on the last shred of courage she had. But she couldn't allow Pitch to control her thoughts. If she waited just a little longer, any moment Jack would come in and save her. All she had to do was wait just a little longer._

_"If your waiting for Frost, you're wait is over," Pitch chuckled. "Look down."_

_Roxy stared at him for a moment before looking down at her feet. At first, she couldn't see anything but the snow under her feet. Then she looked out to the lake. It was frozen over, with a snow lightly dusting the surface. She walked out towards the ice. It began to crack under her weight, forcing Roxy to her knees. As she got closer to the surface, she could just make out an outline of a figure beneath the ice. Careful not to disturb the ice any further, Roxy reached down and brushed away the snow. She squinted her eyes as the image began to clear. When it finally came into focus, Roxy pulled her hand away to cover the gasp that escaped her throat._

_There, floating beneath the surface, was Jack Frost._

_"Jack!" Roxy screamed. She pounded her fists against the ice. The combination of her weight and the frantic pounding caused her to fall beneath the surface. Roxy opened her eyes. It was dark and the icy chill of the water began to numb her limbs. But she ignored it. All she cared about was getting to Jack. Finally she spotted him as he sunk deeper into the black depths. Roxy dove for him, her lungs burning from lack of oxygen. She was almost there… She grabbed onto his wrist and hoisted his body upward. Despite the combined weight of the water and Jack, Roxy wrapped her arms around his torso and swam towards the surface._

_Roxy burst threw the ice, gasping as she tried to draw in as much air as her burning lungs craved. She dragged herself and Jack over to the side of the lake. She took in several large breaths before turning and dragging Jack on land. She managed to get him high enough so that only his feet dangled in the water. She rested her head on his chest but she couldn't hear a heartbeat. Quickly she began to press down on his chest, pausing every thirty compression to blow air into Jack's mouth. She repeated her actions about five times, but her efforts had no effect. Roxy looked up and her eyes filled with tears._

_"Jack… Jack, please, wake up," she pleaded. She sat up and pulled Jack's head into her lap, and cradled him in her arms._

_"How touching," Pitch whispered. "Such a sweet little moment."_

_"Shut up!" Roxy snapped. She didn't even bother to look at him. "This is all because of you."_

_"Oh, poor ignorant girl," Pitch cooed sadistically. "You're only suffering because you refused to grow up. If only you had listened to your mother, you wouldn't be suffering. You should have left your childish fantasies alone. You are a fool to believe that they would care about you. You aren't even a child anymore. You're growing up, yet you still think you can believe in them. You don't deserve to believe in them. None of them"_

_"Th-That's not true." Yet Roxy could feel doubt slowly consuming her heart. It was true. Once she turned eighteen she'd be an adult. Her mother already told her she was too old for these things. She shook her head._

**XXX**

_Jack kept blasting the trees, looking for any sign that the barrier was breaking. He knew Roxy needed his help. He just had to get through. Summoning all his strength Jack released an enormous blast of winter power at the trees. The blast was so strong it finally opened a way in. Jack dropped to his knees, leaning against his staff as he regained his breath. He looked up and saw the opening was closing. Staggering to his feet, Jack bolted for the hole and jumped through, barley making it before it closed._

_He dropped to the ground and rolled before he managed to get to his feet. He looked around before he spotted Roxy, soaking went and trembling from the cold. She was crying and holding her hands over her ears. Jack could also see that there was something lying in her lap. He looked closer and saw it was some version of him, but it was made entirely of black sand. Pitch must have made this doppelganger to trick Roxy. Jack wanted to rush to Roxy's side, but a dark shadow with glowing red eyes emerged from the trees. From the outline of the figure, Jack could see it was none other than Pitch. His eyes were glaring down at Roxy and he laughed at her pain. Jack's blood boiled._

_"Oh, but it is true," Pitch cackled. "Just admit it."_

_"No, it's not," Roxy shouted back. "Just shut up! You don't know anything about me!"_

_"Oh, but I do, Roxana. I truly do." With that, Pitch's form began to shift as he stepped out further into the light. Jack was shocked. The sinister shadow had not been Pitch, but was actually Roxy herself. Only this Roxy had white skin and dark gray hair. She wore a black gown with draped, tattered sleeves and a tattered hemline. Her eyes had no iris or pupils; just bright red._

_Roxy couldn't stop staring as her counterpart continued to get closer. "No… No, y-you can't be real?!"_

_"Oh but I am," the dark Roxy spoke. Her black lips curled into a smirk. "And you know I'm right. I've always been right. You just finally decided to listen."_

_Tears continued to pour down Roxy's already tear stained face. She looked down and saw the dreamsand Jack fade away. She tried to reach for him but he was gone. Her hands dropped into her lap and her head bowed in defeat._

_Unable to stand it anymore, Jack lunged at the Dark Roxy, standing between her and the real one._

_"Enough!" he shouted. "Roxy's nothing that you make her out to be. She's the bravest, most kindhearted person I've ever known. I don't know what lies you've been putting in her head, but I won't let you hurt her anymore."_

_The Dark Roxy only laughed. "My, aren't we plucky. But you're too late, Frost."_

_Jack turned to Roxy and knelt by her side. "Come on, Roxy," he coaxed. "You gonna let some spook tell you who you are? Fight back."_

_"She can't hear you," mocked the counterpart. "She can't see you either. Like I said, you're too late."_

_Jack didn't believe the shadow's word, but when he tried to place his hand on Roxy's shoulder, it passed right through her. No! She never gave up on him before and he wasn't going to let her give up now. He set down his staff and kneeled down in front of her. Her eyes were glazed over and there was no sign of any emotion on her face. There had to be a way to get his Roxy back. He remembered when Jamie had begun to loosed faith in the Guardians. It had taken a snow bunny to convince the boy the Easter Bunny was real. Maybe that was what Roxy needed. Jack began to concentrate hard on what he wanted. If he didn't get this right, he might lose Roxy for good._

**XXX**

_Roxy felt herself being swallowed up. She just wanted to escape from it all. All those horrors she'd seen, all the things her darker self said. She felt so alone. Trapped with nothing but her darker half's mocking laugher to torment her._

_But wait! Listening closer, Roxy heard laughter, but this was different. This sounded…happy. She looked up and saw the snow come to life before her eyes. She followed it as it swirled and danced its way over to the lake. There it took the form of a little girl skating on the ice. Then the girl started to grow and was joined by a little boy. She was teaching the boy how to skate. He started out fine but then took a tumble. When he began to cry the girl picked him up and twirled him around. Both started laughing together._

_"Th-That's me!" Roxy exclaimed._

_Seeing her take notice Jack tapped her on the nose. Roxy shivered before touching her nose with her hand. "Jack! You're here? And you're doing this?"_

_It was true. Just as he'd brought the rabbit to life in Jamie's room, Jack was recreating some of his memories of times Roxy had come to his lake. Roxy looked on in wonder as Jack recalled each of their encounters, most were times Roxy had never known he'd been watching. These mostly consisted of the times when she would sneak down and skate by herself._

_Tears ran down her face but this time she was smiling. "I never knew… You were always watching out for me."_

_Jack gathered Roxy into his arms. She gasped at first from the sudden contact, but soon she curled into him as he held her and ran his fingers through her hair._

_"I knew you'd come, but then, all those terrible things I…she said… I was so scared I couldn't... I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his shirt. _

_"Shh. It's okay to be afraid," he whispered, "but you can't let fear control you."_

_"This coming from the boy who abandoned his friends to search for some old memories." Jack cursed under his breath. He'd forgotten the Dark Roxy was still among them. Her attention then diverted to Roxy._

_"Why listen to his false hopes and empty promises, when you know I'm right. You're too old to believe in fairy tales. And that's all he is. Just a story to tell children to keep them quiet so their parents can have some peace. What a weak little girl. Claiming to be so brave, unafraid of anything. Yet here you are, cowering behind a childish figment. How pathetic!"_

_"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The Dark Roxy took a step back as Jack rose to his feet, still holding Roxy protectively in his arms. "I'm sick of hearing all this. You may claim to know her, but no one does beyond who she lets in, and__–"_

_"She's right…" Jack turned to see Roxy pulling away from him. "Jack look at her. She's me. I don't want to loose you, but for one moment, __I stopped believing in you." Her head hung low, too ashamed to face him. "I'm not a kid __anymore... I can't believe in you."_

_"That's right, be a smart girl," the Dark Roxy hissed._

_"No, don't listen to her!" Jack said, pulling Roxy closer to him. "I wanted to give up when I thought Pitch had won, but you wouldn't let me, remember? You told me that the children needed me even if they didn't believe me. Even when I doubted that, you reminded me that one person did believe in me. Someone who never gives up on her friends or anyone in need; someone who cares more about others than anything else. Roxy, you never stopped believing, even when it was easier for the rest of us to give up."_

_"Give it up, boy! She's already lost her hope." The Dark Roxy's smile was menacing and poisonous. But Jack was not going to give up._

_He grabbed Roxy's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "Roxy, it doesn't matter that you're growing up. That's something you can't stop. But I know you don't believe that you don't believe in me. Don't you see? That's just what she wants. To make you forget about everything you believe in. Roxy, you never gave up on me, and I'm not about to let you give up on yourself."_

_Roxy looked at him, tears pooling in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. "Thank you, Jack," she whispered._

_"Hey, couldn't loose you," he chuckled. "You're my little Snow Sprite, after all." His comment made her laugh, and he hugged her tighter._

_"You fool! I'll make sure she never believes in you again!" The Dark Roxy lunged at Jack. He was prepared to defend Roxy, but instead, Roxy pushed him out of the way. They stumbled back as the Dark Roxy rushed past them. She turned and snarled at them. Roxy took a defensive stance in front of Jack, her arms spread wide in order to protect him._

_Roxy took a quick glance back at Jack. "Jack, you have to get out of here. Now!"_

_"No, I'm not leaving you with that thing," Jack protested._

_"Don't argue with me. My inner demon to fight, remember? I can handle this." He didn't look convinced but she didn't have time to argue. Instead she ran to him and grabbed his shoulders. Before he could protest further, she silenced him by pressing her lips to his . Jack stared at her wide-eyed as she pulled away from him with that mischievous smile of hers._

_"I'll be okay, Jack. I promise. Now go..." She turned back to face her inner demon. Jack reached for her but was blocked by a wall of light. He had to shield his eyes. The last thing he could see was Roxy going head-to-head with her darker self._

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Dang, that took forever. Plot bunnies wouldn't stop hounding me.

**Cosmic Horse:** Wow, didn't know you had plot hounds instead of bunnies… Keep them away from me bunnies!

**GodlyJewel:** It's an expression. I promise no hounds will hurt the bunnies. *crash* Abby! Leave Bunny alone!

**Bonnie:** LEAVE THE BUNNY ALONE! *lungs at the dog*

**Cosmic Horse:** Hey! How did you get out?

**GodlyJewel:** Uh-oh, here we go again. Please enjoy the next chapter while I keep Cosmic and Bonnie from hurting the poor dog. Oh, and keep Abby from biting off Bunnymund's tail.

**Bunnymund:** Nice ta know I matter, Sheila. *growl* Crikey!


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Final Battle**

Everyone watched as Jack continued hovering in the air, surrounded by a ball of white light. His eyes were glowing bright and his hands were clamped firmly on the vial that controlled Roxana.

Below the Fearling Roxy had abandoned attacking North and gone after Bonnie instead. Bunnymund had tried to defend her, but he was knocked to the side. Bonnie stood like a deer in the headlights as her former friend raised her makeshift sword above her head, no hesitation. She brought the razor-sharp blade down and Bonnie covered her eyes. She was suddenly whisked away, having been grabbed like a sack of potatoes by Bunnymund. She gave a squeak when he raced away, leaving Roxy to clank her swords onto the street. Bunnymund stopped a ways away and lowered her to the ground.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Easter Bunny!" Bonnie said, hugging the large rabbit.

"Ya may be clingy, Sheila, but I can't let ya get hurt. Especially when Pitch is behind the hurtin'," Bunnymund said, rubbing her back.

"Mr. Easter Bunny, please don't talk about Pitch like that. I don't want to be mad at you right now," Bonnie said, pulling back a bit.

"No offense, but ya mate ain't ya mate right now," Bunnymund said bluntly. Bonnie blushed. She nodded and kissed his furry cheek.

Bunnymund set Bonnie down and turned back to face the Fearling Roxy once more. She had removed her blade from sidewalk. She glared back at Bunnymund and let out a low, screeching hiss. Bunnymund pushed Bonnie behind him and readied his boomerangs. Roxy lunged at him but before Bunnymund could even lift a boomerang, North jumped in front of them and blocked the attack.

He looked back over his shoulder at the stunned rabbit. "I take care of this. You help the children."

Bunnymund nodded. He and Bonnie quickly headed over to help Jaime and his friends fight off the Nightmares. Suddenly the light from the rooftop grew brighter and Jack was thrown from the roof. He landed on the ground and struggled to get to his feet. Bonnie and Bunnymund rushed to his side and helped him up. Bunnymund lifted Jack to his feet while Bonnie retrieved his staff.

"What happened, mate?" Bunnymund asked.

Jack coughed and tried to regain his composure. "Pitch, he-he trapped Roxy… I tried to help but she…she…"

"What's going on in there, Jack?" Bonnie asked, handing him his staff. Before Jack could answer they all stared back at the light.

The vial began to crack and snap until finally it burst apart. As the vial burst, there was a loud scream and Roxy's body dropped to the ground. North sheathed his swords and rushed to her side. The glow died down and out of the vial came a mist of swirling white sand. It twirled through the air and flowed down to the street below. It first went to the children and whirled all around them, fending off the Nightmares and sending them running. When they were gone, the white sand swirled around Jamie before dashing to North. Jack rushed toward North's side. When he landed, Jack was horrified to see Roxy's body lying limp in North's lap. North looked up at Jack with sad eyes.

"She has no pulse."

Jack shook his head and continued to stare down at her. Bonnie, having arrived with Bunnymund at the moment North said those words, screamed and broke down crying. Bunnymund's ears dropped as his eyes closed and his head bowed. He placed one paw on Bonnie's shoulder. Then he grew enraged and charged at the Nightmares like an unstoppable hurricane. Boomerangs and exploding eggs went everywhere.

Jack dropped to his knees beside Roxy's still form. Slowly the shadows melted away from her body. Tears pricked his eyes as he saw her face. Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale from the chilled air. However, her lips — tinged blue from the cold — were curved into a small smile. She looked so peaceful. Slowly, Jack reached out and pulled Roxy's head into his lap. When he didn't hear a protest from North, Jack wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her against his chest.

Anger and grief seeped into North as he watched. He unsheathed his swords and dove into the battle along with Bunnymund and Tooth.

Bonnie remained, just a few feet from where Jack and her best friend. In the corner of her eye she saw Jaime rushing over to their side. Bonnie grabbed him before he could get any closer.

"Bonnie, what's wrong? Why–" He looked at his sister's friend, but was only answered with tears in her eyes. "No!"

Bonnie held her best friend's brother in her arms as he cried. He struggled to get free, but eventually he wrapped his arms around Bonnie.

Jack looked down. Roxy was so still and ye… He bit back the sob in his throat.

_I'll be okay, Jack. I promise._

"Roxy, you were the first person to ever believe in me, but I…" Jack closed his eyes. A tear ran down his face and splashed on Roxy's cheek. "I couldn't save you!" He cursed himself, allowing tears to flow freely. He pulled her closer to him, tucking her head under his neck, and burying his face into her hair. He felt completely helpless. He was a Guardian, chosen by the Moon, and yet he failed to protect the one person he cared about most from suffering. He pulled back to look at her peaceful face once more.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. Jack knew she couldn't respond, but he wanted her to know how much he cared for her. As he broke the kiss, her head fell back, her lips parted — as if she had taken her last breathe. Jack cried out and pulled her back to him. Jamie continued to cry along with Bonnie. He just couldn't believe his sister was really gone. What would he tell his mom? He looked up to have one last look at Roxy.

No one noticed the stream of white sand that floated above them. It was the same sand held inside the vial Pitch had used to control Roxy, and protected the children from the Nightmares. Now it was swirling around Jack and Roxy. It began to take form.

Jack continued to hold Roxy, trying to stop the flow of tears. He knew he had to join the fight — he wanted to make Pitch pay for what he had done — but he just couldn't take himself away from her. Suddenly, he felt a warm touch on his cheek. First, he thought it might be Bonnie or Tooth trying to comfort him, but this hand was warm and through his closed eyelids her could see… light?

Jack opened his eyes to see a brightly lit figure before him. Her hand sent a comforting warmth through him, and Jack couldn't pull his gaze away as smiling ocean-blue eyes gazed back at him. He could only watch as she glowed brighter and smiled. Jack had to shield his eyes as her whole body began to glow until it disappeared. As Jack began to uncover his eyes, something stirred against his chest. A soft moan drifted to his hears. He looked down to see Roxy's eyes flutter open and look up at him. They twinkled like moonbeams and she smiled at him. Jack could barley believe what he was seeing — his voice was chocked with sobs as he tried to find the words.

"R-Roxy?"

"Told you I'd be okay," she whispered. Jack just smiled and gathered Roxy into his arms. He laughed as her own arms returned his embrace. She smiled into his chest. "Thanks for coming back for me."

Jack wanted to reply, but he was interrupted as Bonnie and Jamie came racing forward. Bonnie let Jamie get to his sister first, their voices intermingling with cries and words of concern. Bonnie's grey-green eyes filled with tears as Roxy pulled away from her sibling, and smiled up at her best friend. Overcome with emotion, Bonnie let out a small shriek and threw herself into Roxy's arms.

"I was so worried! I would have never moved on if you had really…but you didn't. I can't lose you, Rox the Fox, I just can't!" Bonnie said hurriedly, the tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Come on, Brave Bunny. You really think I'm gonna let a bad dream keep me down? As if!" Roxy laughed.

Bonnie was about to reply when a dark cloud suddenly appeared, covering the street in shadows. A horde of Nightmares appeared and Pitch sat perched on one of them on top of the roof. His eyes were hard as stones. Beyond her instinct and normal-ness, Bonnie shoved Roxy behind her, adrenaline rushing through her veins and her heart racing. In short, the episode when she had dug into Jack wasn't even close to how mad she could really get. Pitch, however, was about to find out.

Before he could respond, Jack had leapt to the top of the roof, attacking Pitch with everything he had. Seeing Jack battle Pitch, the other Guardians rushed to his side. Bunny opened a tunnel and called to North behind him.

"All yours matte!" They both jumped into the tunnel.

Meanwhile Pitch and Jack were still engaged in their little battle. Pitch created and threw a black spear, only to have it deflected by Tooth as she flew in front of Jack.

"Thanks Tooth!"

Pitch turned to retreat, but was blocked as Bunnymund appeared from the chimney.

"Ho, ho, _ho_!" Bunnymund threw his boomerang and cleared away several more Nightmares. North would have helped but he had gotten placed on the wrong roof.

Luckily Pitch had ushered his Nightmare to jump to the very roof North was on. He met Pitch half way and sliced threw his Nightmare. Pitch rolled to the ground and raised black sand scythe axe as North charged him. Soon Bunny and Jack joined him. Jack managed to kick him, sending Pitch stumbling into an alley. When he regained his balance he looked up to see all four Guardians in front of him.

"Its over, Pitch," Jack stated. "There's no place to hide." Not realizing what he'd said. Pitch only laughed and sunk into the surrounding shadows. He created multiple shadow copies of himself to confuse the Guardians. When their backs were turned, Pitch snuck up behind Jack and raised his scythe axe.

His sensitive hearing caught Pitch's plan, making Bunny turn around to see Jack in trouble.

"Jack, look out!"

Bunny threw a boomerang but it bounced off the scythe's handle. Jack turned just as Pitch was about to strike. Before he could, a stream of golden sand wrapped itself around Pitch's left wrist. The force pulled him halfway across town and dragged him through a pile of snow. When he came to a halt, Pitch looked up to see a pillar of golden dreamsand. His eyes widen in shock as out from the surprise of seeing figure appear from the pillar.

Even from where they stood, Jack and the other Guardians smiled as they saw Sandman steep out, looking better than ever. Thanks to Jamie and his friends, there was enough dreamsand to free Sandman Pitch's corrupted black sand.

Pitch trembled in fear as Sandy pulled on his ropes, bringing Pitch face-to-face. He then leaned back and shook his finger as if he were scolding a naughty schoolboy before belting Pitch right in the nose, sending him rocketing into the air.

Just then Jamie and the rest of the children appeared. Jamie had figured out how to defeat Pitch and had urged his friends to follow. Sandy smiled and created a hat, tipping it off to the children. Remembering that Pitch was hovering in the ozone layer, Sandy gave a hard tug on the rope. Pitch came crashing down and was knocked out. Apparently some of the dreamsand had gotten into his eyes, for golden dream butterflies began to flutter around the Boogieman's head.

Sandy was soon surrounded by his friends as the rejoiced his triumphant return. When the fuss died down, Sandy gathered his dreamsand and rose into the air. There was still one last piece of business to take care of. He used his power and spread out his dreamsand across the globe, returning the dreams to the children. This set off a chain reaction. With the dreams returning, children began to believe in fairies, which allowed Tooth's mini fairies to fly. The freed themselves from their cages and quickly set to work gathering the Teeth Boxes. When they touched them, the children regained their precious childhood memories . At the North Pole, all the lights on the globe began to light up once again as the children of the world regained their belief.

Back in Burgess, Jamie and his friends marveled at what Sandy's dreamsand created. Cupcake even got to have her unicorn dream Pitch had tainted returned to her, the magical stallion prancing around her. Jamie was caught up in the amazement, until a snowball hit him in the back. He turned to see Jack smiling and tossing another snowball in his hand. Soon it was an all out snowball fight. Everyone one got into it, even the elves and Yetis. At one point Roxy managed to get one Yeti when she noticed Sophie among the fun. How the toddler had gotten there was beyond her, but she didn't have time to think as Bonnie snuck up and smashed a giant snowball over her head.

Jack and North watched the merrymaking before North turned to his young friend. "Your center?"

"Well, it took awhile… But I figured it out." His proud smile was all the proof North needed. He smiled and tossed Jack a small object. When he caught it, Jack saw it was a miniature nesting doll of himself. They both laughed until North was hit in the back of the head by a snowball. He turned to see the twins pointing at an elf.

He laughed and picked up his own snowball. "Ha-ha! You're all on Naughty List. Bunny! Think fast!" He threw the snowball and his Bunnymund right in the nose. He fell on his back but quickly bounced back.

Awakening from his dream, Pitch pushed himself up and witnessed the scene before him. Everyone was having fun at his expense.

"No… You _dare_ have fun in _my_ presence?" he shouted. "I am the Boogieman! And you _will fear me_!" Jack looked up as Pitch charged Jamie but to their surprise, Jamie passed right through him. "NO!"

The Guardians all watched as the realization hit: the children didn't believe in Pitch. His eyes scanned the children, despairing as not one of them saw him. Then his eyes fell on Bonnie. She was engrossed in the game and had not heard him, making Pitch think she too could no longer see him.

Fearful of what might happen to him, Pitch bolted. He ran through the streets all the way to the woods and the frozen lake. He kept going until he ran into North, the force knocking Pitch to the ground. He looked up to see all five Guardians staring down at them. Behind them were the children, Bonnie, and Roxy.

"Leaving the party so soon?" North asked.

"You didn't even say good-bye." Tooth flicked a quarter at Pitch, who caught it in his hand.

He looked at it in disgust. "A quarter?" He looked up on to have Tooth punch him with a hard right-hook. She'd hit him hard enough to knock him back to the ground, and knock out one of his teeth. He withered in pain and looked up at her.

She was shaking the pain out of her fist. "And that's for my fairies," she said with a smile. Five of her fairies put up a shield in front of their queen, chirping what were most likely curse and/or complaints about being the Boogieman's captives.

"You can't get rid of me!" Pitch protested. "Not forever. There will _always_ be fear!

"So what?" North scoffed. "As long as _one_ child believes, we will be here to fight fear."

"Really? Then what are _they_ doing here?" Pitch gestured to the remaining Nightmares as they started flanking the banks.

North began to chuckle. "They can't be _my_ nightmares. I'm not afraid."

Pitch began to loose confidence. He looked around trying to spot the source of the fear. None of the other Guardians were afraid, so he tried the children. None of them, not even the little toddler was afraid of him. Then he remembered none of them could see him anymore, so of course it wasn't them. Pitch finally locked eyes with Bonnie and she shook her head. Though he was relieved she could still see him, he frowned. They weren't there for her either.

Jack took a step forward. "Looks like it's _your_ fear they smell."

The Nightmares charged Pitch. He panicked and tried to run but it was useless. A stab of fear punctured Bonnie's mind as they drew closer. They finally caught him and Pitch was swept up into a streaming cloud of black sand. He screamed and tried to free himself, but that only fueled the Nightmares and they dragged Pitch back to his lair.

"NO!" Bonnie shrieked, running towards him as the Nightmares dragged Pitch away. His hands were clawing into the ground, grabbing on to anything to wrench himself free.

"Bonnie!" Roxy called, lunging after her friend but Bonnie was faster at running.

Jack caught Roxy before she could pursue Bonnie further and be caught as well. Seeing the danger, Bunnymund raced after Bonnie, but was thrown back by a stray Nightmare. By then, Bonnie had reached Pitch just as he was losing his grip on the old bed frame. Dropping Butterfluff, Bonnie grabbed onto Pitch's hands and tried to pull him back up.

"Bonnie, let go!" Pitch shouted as they were dragged closer.

"Not without you!" she shouted back, pulling herself into his arms.

Then they were both swept towards the opening of Pitch's lair. Bonnie kissed Pitch, her lips melding into his. They clung to each other as they were pulled under, the bed frame shattering behind them as thousands of Nightmares poured in after them. The hole closed up, locking everyone inside or out.

"BONNIE!" Roxy called again, struggling against Jack.

"She's gone, Roxy. She's gone…" Jack pulled her to his chest and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

Bunnymund walked over to them. When Roxy looked up, she saw Bunnymund was holding something in his paw. He held out Butterfluff, a sorrowful look in his eyes as Roxy took the rabbit. She walked slowly to the place where the hole had been and placed the rabbit above it. She needed a few minutes alone. Bunnymund headed back to the group while Jack stayed behind. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before joining Bunnymund.

Overhead the clouds parted to reveal a full moon. _Be safe, Bonnie. _Roxy started heading back to the pond and her sorrow turned to delight with the sight she saw. Everyone was gathered around Jack as North performed the ceremony that would make Jack Frost an official Guardian. Roxy quickly ran down the hill just as it was about to start.

One of the Yetis' handed North the Guardians Book. "It is time you take oath." He flipped through the pages until he found just what he wanted. "Will you, Jack Frost, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be."

Jack turned to look at the children. His eyes landed on Jamie who nodded his approval. Smiling himself, Jack turned back to North and answered with a firm, "I will!"

"Then, congratulations, Jack Frost. For you are now, and forevermore, a Guardian." Once the ceremony was over, everyone cheered. North cheered and picked Jack up by his shoulders, placing a kiss on each of his cheeks.

The mini fairies created a heart out of their bodies. Tooth chuckled and berated them gently. "Keep it together, girls."

All the kids were having a great time when something in the sky caught their attention. Everyone looked up to see North's sleigh being pulled by his reindeer, coming to land on the lake. All the kids started to gather around North's sleigh.

Bunnymund turned to North and whispered, "Everyone loves the sleigh."

North smiled but he knew that their time was short. He turned to Jack and laid his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Time to go," he said.

Seeing that as his cue, Sandman gathered his powers and sent a shot of dreamsand into the sky. The sand exploded into a brilliant fireworks display. When they Guardians were out of sight, the dreamsand would take effect and put all of them to sleep. But for now, it served as a grand way to say farewell.

Sophie was playing on the ice, surrounded by multiple colorful Easter eggs. Smiling at the little Sheila, Bunnymund crouched down to her level. Perched on his finger was a little egg. He handed it to Sophie, smiling at how her face lit up as she took the egg.

"Happy Easter, ya little Ankle-biter," he told her. Sophie smiled and reached up to pet Bunnymund's soft nose, laughing. "I'm gonna miss ya," he whispered softly.

"Bye, bye Bunny," she replied in her sweet little voice. Roxy walked up and picked her little sister up in her arms.

Jack watched with a heavy heart at the little farewell. He knew they had to go, but he didn't want to leave. The kids had finally been able to see him and he wanted to stay just a little longer.

Jamie realized what was happening and walked over to him. "You're leaving," he asked sadly, "but what if Pitch comes back? What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you…"

Jack was quick to reassure him. "Hey, slow down, slow down." He knelt on one knee and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You tell me you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"

"No."

"Okay, well, do you stop believing in the sun when clouds block it out?"

"No," Jamie replied with a smile, seeing where his friend was going.

"We'll always be there, Jamie. And now, we'll always be here," Jack said, pointing at Jamie's heart. "Which, kinda makes you a Guardian too."

Seeing his words had hit home, Jack stood and joined his fellow Guardians. Jamie watched as he walked away, but then he remembered something and ran over to him.

"Jack!"

Jack turned to see what Jamie needed and was surprised as the young boy wrapped his arms around his waist. For a moment, he stood there wide-eyed, not sure what to do. But the warmth from the embrace made him smile. Jack bent down to Jamie's level and returned the embrace.

Just as he was about to disentangle from him, Jamie whispered, "By the way, my sister has a **huge** crush on you."

"Jamie!" Roxy shouted, having overheard what her brother said as she and Sophie said their good-byes to the other Guardians. Jack looked over to see her face burning a deep shade of red. She tried to bury her embarrassment in her sister's hair.

He chuckled and turned back to Jamie, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Think you can keep her safe till I come back?" he asked with a wink.

Jamie grinned. "You got it."

Then Jack stood and walked over to where Roxy stood with her little sister in her arms. There was a moment of silence. They just looked at each other for a moment. Then Sophie started squirming and Roxy had to put her down. Sophie walked up to Jack, her egg from Bunnymund clutched close to her chest. She reached up and tugged on his pant leg.

He crouched down to her level and she asked, "You like Roxy?"

Jack smiled and, with a quick glance at Roxy, he turned and answered, "Very much."

"Good! Come back soon," Sophie said cheerfully. She turned and joined Jamie, leaving the two alone.

Jack smiled and stood to get closer to Roxy. She could practically feel her heart pounding in an attempt to leap from her chest. When he stood directly in front of her, Roxy couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

She began to twiddle her fingers. "So… I guess you finally got what you wanted, huh Jack?"

"Yeah," he said. "Guess this is good-bye."

"No, not good-bye. You'll be back. Who else is gonna help Jamie lose the rest of his baby teeth." Roxy smiled at him. It was hard knowing he would be leaving soon, but she didn't want their parting to be sad. "Besides, I know you, and you don't like to miss out on any mischief. There'll be plenty of games to play next Winter."

"Oh, you can count on that," Jack chuckled. She knew him all to well. Before anyone could blink, Jack was next to Roxy's side, his icy breath tickling her ear. "I'll always come home to you, Snow Sprite. Remember that." Then he pressed a light kiss to her cheek, causing Roxy to turn an even deeper shade of red.

North smiled at the scene and started the sled as Jack jumped into the back with the rest of the Guardians. With a flick of his wrists on the reigns and a loud, "Heeya!" they soared into the sky. The children raced after the sleigh, waving and shouting their goodbyes until the Guardians disappeared out of sight.

Roxy walked up behind Jamie and Sophie, putting one hand on Jamie's shoulder, and taking Sophie's hand in the other.

"Do you really think they'll come back?" Jamie asked.

Roxy just smiled and looked up at the sky, her cheek oddly still warm from the chilled kiss that lingered there. "Are you kidding? After all that, you question Jack Frost and the Guardians?" She turned to look her little brother in the eye, her own eyes full of fire and determination. "He'll be back. Jack always comes back, and he never breaks a promise."

As the dreamsand began to settle Roxy noted that all the kids began rubbing their eyes. Even Jamie and Sophie were yawning and starting to loose focus. Roxy bent down and scooped Sophie into her arms. The little girl wrapped one arm around her older sister's neck, and the other snuggled her Easter egg under her chin. Roxy smiled at the young girl before turning to her brother.

"Come on, Jamie," she sighed. "Lets go home."

**XXX**

**AN:** Aww, happy endings all around. But wait! What about Bonnie and Pitch?


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Homeward Bound**

Jack was wrong about one thing though: Pitch and Bonnie were far from gone. They twisted and turned as they fell. Pitch landed onto the hard stone floor before pulling Bonnie to his chest to cushion her fall. She landed rather roughly, knocking the wind out of both of them. Nightmares swarmed around them, smelling mingled scent of their combined fear. The aroma was overwhelming to them. Pitch quickly shoved Bonnie out of the way as he was bombarded by a dozen Nightmares.

"NO!" Bonnie screamed, scrambling to her feet.

A wall of Nightmares descended, blocking her from Pitch. She skidded to a halt and let out a slight breath. Her wide eyes narrowed into daggers when Pitch let out a scream.

"Pitch!" Bonnie called.

Gathering all of her sparse courage, Bonnie let out a war cry and charged at the Nightmares. They met her challenge and cascaded down onto her. All the Nightmares on Pitch pulled away from him and crowded around Bonnie. The sheer musk of her fear was driving them into a frenzy. She felt herself become overwhelmed as fears flooded her senses, and mingled both Pitch's fears and her own within her mind. Images of giant spiders, bloodthirsty bats, swarms of locusts, ghosts and ghouls, demons, and every other fear imaginable exploded in her mind.

Far off Pitch lay on the ground, exhausted. The Nightmares had the debilitating power to make one relive every fear they ever experienced. Now, the love of his life had fallen to her knees as the Nightmares phased through her, a silent scream etched into her face. He tried to stand, but fell to his hands and knees.

A voice from his past suddenly echoed off the walls. Pitch watched as Bonnie witnessed the fall of General Kozmotis Pitchiner: The Fearlings played a trick on him after slowly draining him of the stoic man he once was. They had mimicked his daughter voice, pleading for her father to help her escape the darkness, that she was scared, that he should open the door. Pitchner went into a trance and opened the door for them knowing his daughter wasn't there. When they escaped, they devoured the general's soul becoming a part of him, and from that moment on he hungered for the dreams of innocent children and was known simply as "Pitch."

Bonnie shook to the bone. What had happened to Pitch was horrible and painful for her to watch. He loved his daughter so much and now they were eternally apart. The Nightmares began to close in but Bonnie had finally found her courage. She threw back her head and let out a scream. Not one of terror but of power. The Nightmares were flung back by the sheer force of her scream. Pitch actually saw a ripple of silver come off of Bonnie. That ripple touched the core of each Nightmare. They began to tremble as she stood up. Her once grey-green eyes had turned an eerie silver color, and Pitch witnessed the silver color seeped into the eyes of the Nightmares. Bonnie was now the Nightmare Queen.

She crossed to Pitch and offered him her hand, a sad smile on her face. He gently took it and stood. Sighing, Bonnie suddenly shivered.

"Are you cold?" Pitch asked, touching her cheek.

"A bit," she replied, rubbing her arms. Pitch pulled her closer, enveloping her in his arms. She gasped a little before resting her hands and head on his chest.

"Better?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Yes," Bonnie whispered against his chest. She looked up at him with a loving smile playing across her lips. Pitch never thought she could be anymore beautiful. She had saved him from the Nightmares, and even though he had almost driven the world back to the Dark Ages, she still wanted to be with him.

He looked at her with disbelief. "After all I've done, after everything I put you through... What did I do to deserve such happiness?"

"That's easy, you silly." Bonnie leaned forward until her lips were brushing against his own, her breath warming his skin. "Because..." she whispered and pressed a deep kiss to his lips.

The air snapped, an amber ripple cascading over the Nightmares, their eyes returning to their amber color. Pitch leaned into the kiss, his hands pressing her body against his while Bonnie bowed her back, making Pitch follow her. Her hands tangled in his hair while one of his traveled up and grasped her hair. He broke the kiss to hike her onto his waist before re-starting the kiss. Bonnie was gasping for air when they finally pulled apart. Pitch slowly lowered her back onto her feet. They rested their foreheads against each other, shallow breaths craving more. Bonnie had the power over Nightmares for a fleeting moment before giving it back to Pitch.

"I choose you," she said when their lips parted, trailing her hand from his hair and down his chest to hold his hand.

Pitch actually smiled. He cupped her chin and kissed her again. "I love you, Bonnie," he said against her lips.

"I love you too, Pitch," she said, a smile plastered onto her face.

Pitch smiled. He stooped over and scooped her up bridal style. Bonnie let out a small squeak before throwing her hands around his neck. He smiled bigger and started walking back.

She gave a small squeak before throwing her arms around his neck. He summoned a Nightmare, his loyal Shadow, and mounted the mare, draping Bonnie sidesaddle in front of him. Pitch held one arm around her waist while the other gathered the reins. He touched Shadow's sides and the mare leapt from the lair and into the real world. She dematerialized back into the lair while Pitch carried Bonnie home. Pitch smiled and started walking back.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, letting out a little laugh.

"Back home," he said, crossing through the forest. "I'm moving into your room…under your bed."

Bonnie's eyes widened a bit before she smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered closed and she let out a contented sigh. Her eyes suddenly flew open. "Where's Butterfluff?" she asked, looking around hysterically.

Pitch snapped his fingers and a shadow appeared, bearing a lonely plush rabbit. Bonnie grabbed the rabbit with one arm before looking up at Pitch. "Thank you, Pitch," she said, placing a little kiss on his chin.

Pitch flushed a gentle purple color. He glanced down at Bonnie and saw her contently nestled against him. He carried her home, shadow jumping into her room. He laid her on the bed. Her eyes were half-lidded as he went to stand up.

Bonnie caught his fingers and whispered, "Stay with me."

His eyes widened and he lay down next to her. She nestled against his body, bowing her head to rest under his chin. One arm lay under his head, gently stroking her hair, while his other rested on her hip, gently rubbing lazy circles. Bonnie clutched Butterfluff to her stomach while her other hand rested on Pitch's chest. She sighed, slowly drifting off to sleep. Pitch sighed as well before joining her in the clutches of sleep.

A stream of golden dream sand wafted into the bedroom, bringing happy dreams to the sleeping couple. Rabbits hopped around, frolicking with graceful butterflies. The dreams melding into each other, finding a peaceful scene of Pitch and Bonnie sitting on a cloud, watching the sun set. They held each other's hands before Pitch leaned in to kiss Bonnie. The dream exploded, showering the couple in golden sparkles. Both of them smiled in their sleep, snuggling closer together.

**XXX**

The sun was shinning brightly outside, melting the snow, but there was still a slight chill in the air. There was no evidence of the epic battle that occur the night before. The children who witnessed it would only remember it as a dream . All the children who had aided the Guardians succumbed to a deep sleep, courtesy of Sandy's dreamsand.

Roxy was trudging into the kitchen with all intentions of getting herself a large cup of coffee. She had spent the last few hours helping the elves, Yetis, and mini fairies sneak all the kids back into their homes before their parents noticed. It had been nearly seven o'clock by the time she returned to her own house. The door had been locked, so two of the elves carried Sophie in through the dog door. The third entered, intending to unlock the door, but Abby's bowl full of dog biscuits sidetracked him. So Roxy had to crawl through the door to let in the Yeti who carried her brother.

She led up him upstairs, careful not to wake their mother. As she passed by Sophie's room, Roxy could see the elves trying to put her to bed. They heaved and tossed Sophie onto her mattress. She landed on the edge, but when she turned over in her sleep Sophie had once again fallen on the floor. Unlike last time, the third elf had abandoned his dog biscuit to help his friends, and caught Sophie before she hit the floor. When they saw she was alright, they tossed a blanket over her and put on of her toys by her side.

Roxy smiled and then continued leading the yeti into Jamie's room. He placed Jamie in his bed, while Roxy tucked the covers around his shoulders. When Roxy looked up, she saw the yeti had picked up Jamie's _Mysterious Times: They're Out There!_ book. He also had a pen and, taking another glance at Jamie, the yeti opened to the chapter that showed a picture of Bigfoot. With the pen, the Yeti signed his name, Phil, and added a heart beneath it. He closed the book with a chuckle before placing the book back on the table. He turned and saw Roxy smiling at him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He shrugged and then used a snow globe to open a portal to the North Pole. He waved goodbye and then disappeared. Roxy tiptoed out of her brother's room, and crept into her own. Just as she was about to sink into her warm, comfortable bed Mrs. Bennett walked into the room.

"Oh good, you're just getting up. I'm glad you're feeling better, but could you do me a favor? I have to run to work and I need you to run into town and buy some milk? We're all out. If you hurry, you might be able to get there and back before Jamie and Sophie wake up."

Roxy groaned but told her mother she would do it. Smiling, her mother thanked her and hurried off to work. Apparently Roxy's previous condition had slipped from her mother's mind. Her mother would most likely remember sometime during work, and when she got home, she would fuss over Roxy until she was sure her daughter was actually okay. Roxy was also thankful it was still Easter Vacation, so she didn't have school — until tomorrow.

Sighing, Roxy waiting for the timer to go off. She traded her pajamas for a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt before trudging to the kitchen. When the coffee was done, she poured herself a large cup, added creamer and sugar, and downed the whole cup in one gulp. She placed the cup in the sink and then headed to the front door. After grabbing her keys, shoes, and coat, she headed off toward town.

As she walked Roxy thought about what she was going to tell Mrs. Clyde. She didn't want to lie to her; Mrs. Clyde was like a second mother to her, but how was she supposed to explain Bonnie's disappearance. Telling someone a bottomless pit had swallowed up their daughter after a creature that controlled nightmares wasn't something one says if they wished to avoid being thrown into a padded cell. Without thinking Roxy found herself walking into the woods. It was peacefully quiet, just how she liked it. Little did she know that a pair of grey-green eyes watched her from the shadows.

**XXX**

Bonnie was nervous. She wanted to rush over to Roxy and make good but she was still very nervous. After being sucked in, Bonnie assumed that Roxy thought that she was gone…forever.

"What's wrong, Bonnie?" Pitch asked, hanging in the shadows.

"I'm nervous," Bonnie replied. "For all she knows, I'm as good as gone."

"But she is your friend," Pitch said, reassuringly laying a hand on her shoulder. However, Bonnie still hesitated. Sighing, Pitch trailed his hand down off her shoulder to her spine between her shoulder blades, and shoved her into Roxy's path. Bonnie almost fell onto her face, but managed to keep on her feet. She looked at Roxy before giving a small wave.

"Hiya, Roxy," she said with a nervous smile.

Roxy seemed surprised at first, but then her face softened as she smiled, cocking one brow.

"About time you showed up, Bon. You realize I almost had to lie to your mom about your whereabouts. And you know how hard it is to lie to your mother."

"Isn't it though?" Bonnie replied, smiling wider. "I'm so relieved that you didn't flip out on me."

"Are you kidding? I knew you weren't gone — I was just waiting for you to come back from vacation time with your boyfriend. Speaking of the Shadow King, if he doesn't quit watching from the sidelines like a creeper, and get himself out here, I'm gonna spill some dirty secrets that will turn him pink with embarrassment."

"Um, Roxy. He can't come out. He's allergic to the sun," Bonnie explained lightly.

"Bonnie," Roxy retorted, "we're standing in the shade." Indeed, the two girls were standing under the branches of a large tree, surrounding them in enough shade to keep the sunlight off them.

Bonnie smacked herself in the forehead with her palm.

"That had to hurt," Pitch drawled out, appearing next to Bonnie. "You inadvertently requested my presence?" Pitch asked, cautiously eyeing Roxy.

Roxy smiled and rolled her eyes. "Calm down Pitch, I'm not gonna bite. I already had the satisfaction of watching the Guardians kick your scrawny butt into the next millennium." She leaned up and whispered, "Plus, I still have that dirt on you, remember, Locket-boy." Roxy winked.

Bonnie froze. She had learned everything about Pitch's dark, destroyed past and the meaning of the locket. She subconsciously grabbed his hand, giving it a slight squeeze. Seeing their obvious discomfort, Roxy backed off a bit.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little spiked head. I'm not gonna tell; Bonnie would never speak to me if I did. But, that doesn't mean I can't tease you about it."

Bonnie giggled a bit while Pitch just glared. "I think I'm going to go home…" Bonnie said. "You were heading that way, right Roxy?"

"Actually I'm on my way to the store to pick up some milk. Wanna join me? Or…" She looked at Pitch, noting the purple tint on his cheeks. She couldn't help the Cheshire Cat grin on her face. "Did you have prior plans."

Bonnie blushed heavily. "Not really… I was planning on introducing Pitch to my parents. But that can wait a bit. Let's get some milk!" Bonnie replied, like she had just been told to go on an epic quest.

Pitch shrunk himself and melded into the shadows on the back of her neck from her hair, not before hissing at Roxy, "Maybe we did have plans but not anymore."

Roxy chuckled as Bonnie looped her arm around hers and they started walking into town.

**XXX**

**AN:** That part about Pitch's past was taken from the wiki mentioned earlier in the story.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

_Four months later..._

The Guardians had gathered one again. This was Jack's first meeting as an official Guardian. He was a tad excited about it, but mostly for what he was planning afterwards. Today was also Roxy's birthday. He planned to make it a very special one. Once again, it was Sandy that noticed the Man in the Moon. He alerted the Guardians to the lingering presence.

"Oh, hello, Manny!" North called, waving at the moon.

A moonbeam touched down and the crystal began to rise. "What, another Guardian?" Tooth asked, growing a bit excited.

"Still hope it ain't the Groundhog," Bunnymund muttered.

The light touched the crystal, showing an image of the new Guardian. The form was different but the face was unmistakable. Jack's eyebrows made friends with his hairline.

"Roxy?" North asked.

Then, the image changed again. This time, it was Bonnie. "And Bonnie?!" Bunnymund asked.

The crystal began to fade, taking the images with it. "Well," North said. "That's little strange. But nonetheless, Man in Moon is never wrong. So Jack, why don't you and Bunny–"

"Do I have to?" Bunnymund asked, sagging in his shoulders.

"I could get them both," Jack offered.

North nodded. "Well, go then. We will prep for ceremony," he said, handing Jack a snow globe.

Jack imagined Burgess, Pennsylvania. The snow globe showed his hometown. He tossed the snow globe and walked through the portal. Once he was in Burgess, Jack quickly checked the Bennett house for his friends. Sadly, Roxy was not there so he went to check Bonnie's house. Looking through the windows, Jack finally spotted Roxy with Bonnie sleeping on the living room floor. He opened the window and stepped into the room, his chill waking the sleeping girls.

"Jack!" Roxy acknowledged, getting out of her sleeping bag. She quickly rushed to him and through her arms around his neck. He eagerly returned the embrace, and even picked her up and twirled her around before setting her back on her feet.

"Geez, and I thought Pitch was obsessive," Bonnie said, rubbing her eyes awake. After Roxy had discovered Pitch was still around, she had left a note for when Jack when he returned. In it she explained what had occurred between Pitch and Bonnie after the Nightmares attacked, and that Pitch had gone from "evil" to "chaotic neutral." The Guardians were still uneasy about the whole thing, but nevertheless, as long as Pitch wasn't causing trouble, they let it slide.

Roxy rolled her eyes and asked, "Jack, what are you doing here?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we kinda need your guys' help again."

"How can we be of assistance?" Bonnie asked.

"You girls up for a trip to the North Pole?" he asked.

At the nodding of their heads, Jack gently took another snow globe from his pocket. He opened a portal to the North Pole. Bonnie skipped merrily through, her ever-faithful Buterfluff tucked into the crook of her arm. Roxy quickly went to the kitchen and got out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling a note for Bonnie's parents saying that she and Bonnie had gone out for a bit, but would be back later. She then placed the note on the kitchen counter. When she returned, Jack offered her his hand. Roxy blushed again, taking the chilled hand and they stepped through.

They were met by the sight of all the other Guardians gathered and Bonnie glomped onto Bunnymund. She was murmuring, "Pet the fluffy bunny," over and over while petting the giant rabbit. Bunnymund had a slightly aggravated look on his face. Roxy and Jamie parted their hands, each feeling the lingering sensations the other's hand had left behind.

"Ah Roxy, good to see you," North said with a bright smile

"Nice to see you again, North," Roxy said, returning his smile.

"Now, maybe someone could tell us why we are here," Bonnie said, letting go of Bunnymund.

"You are new Guardians," North said happily.

"Say what?!" Roxie shouted. "What do you mean we're Guardians? How the– Who the– What the heck? I thought we were brought here cause you guys needed our help?" She turned and glared at Jack, actually causing him to flinch. She walked over and stared him down. "A little warning would have been nice, ya know."

"Sorry but I thought it would be a fun little surprise," Jack said innocently.

"Oh sure…surprise," Bonnie said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Besides, Jack told us how he was turned and I have an aversion to dying." Bonnie said, "And, I don't think that this is going to work out..."

"How would this not work?" Bunnymund asked, giving Bonnie a puzzled look.

"Well, if I'm a Guardian, then my...friendship...with Pitch will get all screwy. I wouldn't want that," Bonnie explained, choosing her words carefully.

"There is solution," North said, flipping through the pages of the Guardian book. "We turn you into Guardian, but you remain with the children until normal life is over. Then, you become as you are now. Is how I was made Guardian."

"That could work," Bonnie replied, looking over at Roxy.

"Sure, why not?" she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Excellent!" North cheered, clapping the book shut, thus starting the ceremony.

Elves played music while the Yetis put the final touches of the actual ceremony space. Rota, Bonnie's Yeti friend, approached her and she gave him Butterfluff to hold. Despite her love of the bunny, she wanted him safe during this whole ordeal. Jack laughed when a pair of Yetis hauled Roxy and Bonnie onto their shoulders for a little bit of an parade. Roxy was laughing while Bonnie looked terrified. They lowered them again, the music finished and North began to read the actual making of a Guardian.

"Will you, Roxana Bennett, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be."

"Yes, I will," Roxy replied, a gentle glow surrounding her.

"And will you, Bonita Clyde, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be."

Bonnie nodded before saying, "Yes, I will." A soft glow surrounded her as well.

North looked up to the Man in the Moon and gave him a nod. "Then, I now pronounce you both now and forevermore, Guardians!"

The glow surrounding the girls grew in brightness until the light blinded everyone. When the light had faded and everyone could see again, Bonnie and Roxy had been entirely transformed.

Bonnie's white nightgown had been replaced by a form fitting near white blue dress. The dress was a strapless number, with delicate patterns of stars and flowers embroidered onto the fabric. Around her waist was a nylon belt sheath. She opened it to find silver and black throwing stars. A pair of dainty crystal shoes adorned her feet while a pair of matching gloves reached her elbows. Her black sand necklace was perfectly visible from the dress cut. A delicate looking hair décor with near white blue flowers and silver bands had woven itself into her hair. A large pair of blue butterfly wings, similar to that of a Morpho Blue Butterfly, now appeared from her back.

As for Roxy, she no longer wore a pair of striped pajama shorts and a grey tank top, but instead, she had been given a royal blue tank top to match her new ice-blue silk pants. She also wore a white long-sleeved, hooded white shawl that reached just to the back of her calves. She was barefoot, but delicate silver bands swirled around her toes and up her calves. Matching bands of silver climbed up her arms and had pale blue roses scattered on them. A think black belt encircled her waist. Attached was a leather scabbard reinforced by a metal throat and chape, with intricate designs that looked like frost. Pulling the sword from the scabbard, Roxy discovered it was a rapier, with black leather grip wrapping and a three-ring swept hilt. The blade was a clear as ice, making it almost invisible. She replaced the blade and looked over her other changes. She also had a set of sai attached to her belt. Her hair had been changed from white blond to pure silver, while retaining a faint blue hue. Matching blue roses made a crown about her head. She also had wings, but Roxy's were pure white and feathered like a Snowy Owl.

Both girls looked otherworldly in their new forms.

"Wow this is… It's amazing!" Roxy exclaimed as she twirled around in her new outfit. When she caught sight of her wings, her eyes lit up. "Okay, not that I'm not loving the wings, but are all female Guardians fairies?"

North, Sandy, and Bunnymund tried to explain, but in truth, they hadn't a clue to why the girls received wings. Everyone immediately turned to the Tooth Fairy for an answer. She hovered in the air among a few of her fairies before answering.

"Well, everybody loves a fairy."

Roxy and Bonnie agreed with the simple logic. The others were not so easy to convince.

"What? I am Santa Claus, all the childrens love me!" North exclaimed.

Sandy mimed with dream sand that he brought good dreams to the children.

"Oie, what about me? Everyone loves a large rabbit!" Bunnymund said.

"Don't forget fluffy. Large, fluffy bunny," Bonnie said with a sheepish smile. Bunnymund just groaned.

Then, there was a crashing sound as a figure fell from the rafters and into Rota's freshly painted red robots. Rota shouted and everyone prepared for a fight. Pitch suddenly stumbled out of the ruined pyramid, shaking off the dust and paint flecks from his clothing.

"Oh, hello," he said with a shy wave.

"Pitch?" North asked.

"Pitch!" Bunnymund warned.

"Pitch!" Bonnie cheered, a smile cracking her face. She skipped over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Pitch gently hugged her back before putting her at arm's length.

"Are you alright Bonnie?" he asked, moving some hair out of her face. "I felt a wave of fear come off you and I came here." He cupped her chin, making their eyes meet.

Her heart raced and she blushed. "I'm alright," she whispered, blinking rapidly a couple of times.

He smiled. Roxy coughed said, "Others in the room."

Pitch dropped his hands and clasped them behind his back. "Well," he began, at a slight loss for words due to Bonnie's altered appearance. "You look...beautiful, Bonnie. I especially like the wings."

He brushed one, his hand passing through it. "Hey, easy on the wings," Bonnie chided, gently slapping his hand away.

"Bonnie, they're not made of glass," Roxy said, giving her a sweet smile.

"Well, I happen to like my wings." Bonnie replied before catching sight of Jack. "So Jack, what do you think about our new fairy wings?" she asked, drawing all attention to the Winter Spirit.

Everyone immediately turned to Jack and awaited his answer. Jack felt like he had been backed into a corner with no means of escape. As he tried to find the words his eyes fell on Roxana's Guardian form. Her smile was full of encouragement, but her eyes spoke of anticipation for his answer.

"I uh… I-I like fairies," he finally said with a shrug.

The other male Guardians weren't convinced. Seeing that his answer was weak, Roxy decided to give her favorite mischievous sprite a hand.

"Uh, let me explain. You guys are well loved characters, but you are more like...like..." She grabbed a large teddy bear from Phil and held it up as an example. "Like giant teddy bears! Everyone loves you guys and can't resist wanting to hug you." Bonnie had been creeping towards Bunnymund and glomped him from the side. Bunnymund groaned while Pitch glared daggers at him. Roxy rolled her eyes, but smiled, and continued her explanation.

"Whereas fairies are more elegant, whimsical, and..." Roxy finished before returning the teddy bear to Phil. She turned to face Jack, and placed a shy kiss right on his nose before sprinting away. "Harder to catch." She leapt into the air, beating her wings rapidly and flew off through an open window in the roof.

Jack blushed a heavy red shade before sprinting after here, shouting, "Hey, get back here!"

They left, leaving Pitch and Bonnie alone with the Guardians, plus thousands of elves and Yetis. There was an awkward pause broken by Rota returning Butterfluff to Bonnie. She cuddled the bunny plush close to her face. Pitch felt a smile on his face, catching the eyes of the Guardians. He snatched the bunny, making Bonnie scowl. He then tickled her under her chin with the rabbit's ears, making her giggle before he pressed Butterfluff's nose to her cheek in a bunny like kiss. She snatched her rabbit away with a smile and looked up at Pitch through her eyelashes.

"Awe, he really does care," Tooth said softly, making all her fairies agree with delicate awes.

Bunnymund was nodding his head in agreement.

"I still not understand," North said.

Wanting to see just how far the relationship was going, he caught the attention of one of his elves. He handed a sprig of mistletoe to the elf, whispering to him. The elf nodded and headed towards Rota. The tan Yeti looked down at the elf pulling on his leg hair then to North. The large Russian man nodded. Rota rolled his eyes and lifted the elf above Pitch and Bonnie. He scurried to tie the mistletoe and dropped it down. He then ran as fast as he could.

The mini fairies saw the mistletoe and all gasped, staring at the plant. This drew the attention of everyone else in the workshop. Bonnie saw all them staring at something above her and Pitch. She glanced up and saw the mistletoe. Her eyes widened.

"What is it?" Pitch asked, noting her slightly flushed face. Bonnie pointed up. Pitch looked and actually blushed.

"Pitch, are you turning purple?" Tooth asked, noting the flushed face of Pitch.

"What? No, I'm–" Pitch began but was cut off by Bonnie pressing a soft kiss to the side of his mouth.

He froze as did the entire workshop. Pitch turned and faced Bonnie. Her eyes were dilated and her breathing was slightly heavy. He gently took her shoulders before cupping the back of her neck and kissed her fully on the lips. Bonnie stood stone still a moment before her wings began to flutter wildly. Her hands went to rest on Pitch's chest while one of his hands traced down her body and pressed her into him. The entire workshop hooted and hollered as they pulled away, both breathless and eyes hungry for more.

**XXX**

Up above another fairy was staring down at the sweet sight.

"Bought time, Pitch," Roxy mumbled to herself. She was really happy for her friend. Since the Guardians had defeated Pitch four months ago, Bonnie couldn't stop talking about him (okay, talking way more than usual), so of course Roxy suspected the feelings between the two had grown. Now here was the proof before her eyes. She sighed.

"Hey!"

Roxy turned around and saw a very disgruntled Jack Frost hovering behind her. She smiled mischievously and stood up.

"Well, I see you finally managed to stop circling that glacier." With a quick flutter of her wings, and a, "Keep up," Roxy took off into the sky.

Jack got an equally mischievous grin and took off after her. He was impressed with how fast Roxy could fly with her new wings. She'd hardly had them for ten minutes, and yet it was as if she had been born with them. But she still wasn't as fast as he was. The only reason she managed to avoid him was her last minute maneuvers. But now he was catching up.

Roxy looked back to see Jack gaining on her. In truth, this little game of cat-and-mouse was getting a little old. Looking around she spotted a maze of icebergs and got an idea. She beat her wings faster and headed for the maze. After swerving through a couple of glaciers Roxy dove behind one and watched as Jack flew right past her. She waited a minute before peeking out to see if the coast was clear.

Suddenly Roxy was taken by surprise as two arms wrapped around her waist, and lifted her into the air. Roxy squealed in surprise and turned to see Jack smiling that devilish grin as he soared them higher into the sky. Finally when he thought they were high enough, Jack manipulated the wind currents so he and Roxy could hover in the air. He then turned Roxy around so that she faced him. Her hands were pressed to his chest while he held her tightly to him. With how close she was, Jack got a better look at her new Guardian form. Her hair almost the same shade as his own, but he was still paler than her. With her feathered wings Roxy looked more like an angel than a fairy. But the biggest change was her eyes. Without a mirror, Roxy couldn't see that her eyes had changed from cocoa-brown to ocean-blue. They really suited her.

He pressed his forehead to her temple and whispered, "Looks like I caught you."

Roxy laughed. "Yeah, ya caught me alright."

"So tell me, Snow Sprite. What happens when someone manages to catch a fairy?" Jack gently squeezed her waist, causing Roxy to laugh more. He knew she was ticklish, but best not to bring that up way up here.

Roxy felt her heart flutter at his question. She pulled back and looked as if she was seriously contemplating the answer.

"Well," Roxy explained. "Usually, when someone catches a fairy, they learn the fairy's name. Once you have their name, you can summon them to you whenever you wish. But in this case…" Roxy moved her arms to wrap around Jack's neck, pulling her closer to him. "In this case, you may ask for one wish."

"A wish, huh?" Jack cocked an eyebrow, thinking over what he could ask for. Then he gave her a smile that made Roxy tense.

"I wish for…" He shifted then to the side so that they were facing the sun. "You to share this moment with me."

When Roxy turned her head, she felt her heart melt at the sight before her. The sun was setting just over the horizon, painting the sky in various hues of orange and soft pinks. The light reflected off the snow and ice to create a Winter Wonderland before her eyes. Then, as if the moment was still not just right, Jack conjured up a flurry of snow and created two small figures. Roxy's eyes started to tear as she recognized the images from her dream long ago, when she wished to fly along the Northern Lights with Jack. Only now the images were of her older, and instead of flying among the lights, they were dancing among the snowflakes.

Seeing her smile brought a warm glow to Jack's heart. He leaned his head forward to rest his chin on her shoulder. His cool breath sent a shiver over her neck, as he whispered sweetly in her ear.

"Happy birthday Roxy."

Roxy was completely caught off guard by his statement. She hadn't really wanted to celebrate her birthday, but she was beyond words at the gift Jack had given her. It was the most thoughtful and caring gift she had ever received. Turning back to him, Roxy smiled and a single, shimmering tear slid down her cheek.

Seeing the lonely tear, Jack removed his hand from her waist and brushed it away with his thumb.

"Hey, don't cry. What's wrong?"

Roxy closed her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, Jack. Everything is just wonderful. Thank you." She drew him close and embraced him with all her heart, pouring out all that his gift had done for her in that one moment.

Jack held her to him wishing he never had to let her go. For all the time he had known her, he never before realized how much this girl had meant to him. It wasn't that she danced so gracefully on the ice, or could now fly elegantly through the air. It wasn't that she had grown from the sweet little girl who skated on his frozen lake, into a beautiful woman that would now share in keeping Winter a special time for children all over the world. No. It was all because she saw him when no one else could. All that time when no one wanted to believe, when he even doubted in himself, she never gave up on him. Jack then did something bold, more bold than anything he had ever done before.

Pulling back from their embrace, Jack lightly traced his fingertips from her temple to cup her soft cheek in his hand. Roxy smiled at him and nuzzled into his touch. The way she looked at him, her eyes full of trust and… Could he dare to hope? Well, one way to find out.

He gently squeezed her waist as he pulled her closer. Her eyes became half lidded as Jack leaned his head down closer to hers, their lips just a breathe away from the other. Taking one last look, Jack saw Roxana close her eyes and tilted her head up just enough for him to make the first move. That was enough for him. His eyes drifted closed and his icy lips melded into her soft, warm mouth. Once their lips met, a spark coursed through their veins and soon what was meant to be a chaste kiss, became more passionate. Jack's hands pressed behind her neck and the small of her back, drawing her as close to him as possible, while Roxana's hands intertwined themselves in his soft silvery hair.

What seemed to last forever soon ended as they each drew back. Their eyes were locked on each other, not a word needed to be spoken. Everything and more had been said in that one, single kiss.

"We should-We should probably be getting back," Jack finally broke the silence. "They'll be wondering where we are. Plus you and Bonnie still need to get home before your parents worry. I think you're mom said she was throwing you a birthday party."

"Okay," Roxy agreed. "But, Jack, can I ask you something before we go?"

_Like I could say no after that_, he thought to himself with a chuckle. "Anything, little Snow Angel."

Rosy blushed at the pet name. She looked at him with a smile that lit up her new ocean-blue eyes. "Think you can join me for a moonlight skate after my party tonight?"

Jack just smiled his famous trickster's smile.

"Wild Nightmares couldn't keep me away."

**XXX**

A dark figure watched as Jack Frost led the silvered-haired fairy back toward the workshop. His grin grew as he watched them disappear. Little did the Guardians know just what was to come. For now that the dark heart of the Nightmare King had been tamed and brought over to the light, a new and more powerful force could rise.

The dark figure chuckled and began to make his way back toward the West. He had to hurry while the fools were caught up in their festivities. But before the he could depart he looked up toward the moon.

"So, you think you've won by defeating Kozmotis? You fool! Soon darkness will reign once again. And no one, not even your pathetic Guardians, can stop me."

**The End?**

**XXX**

**AN:** Ooooo! Possible sequel. To answer that question, yes, there shall be a sequel. Only it will be written on Cosmic Horse's page, since it centers more on Pitch and Bonnie, like how this one focused more on Jack and Roxie. Hope to hear your thoughts on this little Cosmic/Jewel collar, and hope you all had a Happy Easter (I know it's a day late, but so what?).


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